


Atlantis Rising

by CynthiaK2014



Series: Atlantis Rising [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 17:07:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 60,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4271202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CynthiaK2014/pseuds/CynthiaK2014
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is an original work and all characters are mine. I hold the copyright to all parts of Atlantis Rising.  It started as a dream I had and slowly became a science fiction novel.  I didn't spend the time needed to maybe turn it into something I could send a publisher and now I've moved on. </p><p>That said, there are three full books done and I wrote and posted them between 1999 - 2001 under my pseudonym Athea Holmes.  So it may take a couple of days to get all the chapters up.  </p><p>I'm proud of the work and love the characters very much.  If you're willing to take a chance on it, please let me know what you think.  And as always - thanks for reading!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Unexpected

******************* 

Dr. Sam Hamilton tugged on the door once to make sure it was really locked. Turning towards the alley, he headed for his car and shivered in the cool night air. He should have worn something heavier than just his lab coat. He was tired and his legs ached from all the standing he’d done in the small neighborhood clinic where he donated his time one day a week. Grinning to himself, he thought back over the hours and all the street people who’d brightened his day. Checking his watch, he knew he’d have to hurry if he wanted to make his 7:30 dinner date.

“Pst-t-t, Doc.”

He tightened all over and cast his eyes swiftly across the dirty concrete ground and walls. Colorful graffiti covered most of the dingy surfaces including the dumpsters that lined the walls. A shabby figure dressed in multiple layers stood hesitantly near one of the old metal containers with his hand upraised to catch his attention.

“Joe? Did you need the clinic?” He relaxed a bit but stayed alert when he recognized one of the elderly alcoholics who drifted through the neighborhood.

“Not me, Doc. Got a friend who’s real sick.” Joe shuffled out warily and looked up at him out of watery blue eyes.

“Well, how about I give you some aspirin for your friend and tomorrow you bring him in for Dr. Fraser to look at.” Sam began to open his bag but stopped when Joe briefly touched his arm before snatching his hand back.

“Can’t wait, Doc. She’s real sick. Burnin’ up. And hurtin’. But she won’t go to hospital.” Joe shook his graying head and sent a beseeching look his way.

Sam sighed and kissed his dinner date with the lovely Eleanor goodbye. Managing a smile he nodded at the old derelict. “Then why don’t you take me to her, Joe and I’ll see what I can do. Is she family, Joe?”

An incredulous look was his only answer and his ex-patient began to lead him away from his car and into the twilight world of the old buildings that mostly housed bankrupt businesses and the shadow people who only came out at night. Sending up a quick prayer to the God of Car Protection, Sam hoped his deal with the local Vaquero Gang held past clinic hours here in the beautiful slums of Waltham.

Joe led him unerringly past three office buildings, behind another and through an alley. Sam followed him with all senses on the alert. He never carried drugs with him except for over the counter medications that he handed out with a lavish hand but he was wary of an ambush. He didn’t want to think badly of Joe but as his big brother, the colonel, kept telling him, better safe than sorry.

“She’s in here, Doc. I sure hope you can help her.” Joe looked anxious and opened a door into a building that was clearly labeled ‘Condemned’. “She’s holed up in the basement. It’s not much but at least it’s out of the cold.”

“Lead the way, Joe. I’m right behind you.” Sam took a firm hold on his medical bag and fished out the high powered flashlight to help light their way. It didn’t look like electricity had been turned on here in some time.

The second room on the right was piled high with mildewed cardboard boxes. Joe moved the ones nearest the door, making for the far corner and a pile of rags that stirred slightly at the sound of their entrance.

“It’s Joe, mi’lady. I brung the Doctor with me.”

A hacking cough was the only response. The cough raised the hairs on the back of Sam’s neck and he quickly threaded his way through the boxes to the shapeless pile. Ignoring the stink of dried urine and stale bodies, he knelt by his patient’s side.

“Ma’am, my name is Dr. Sam Hamilton and I’m here to help you. Is it all right if I pull back your coat?” He hesitated, not sure if the person was even conscious.

“Yes.” The voice was faint and strangled as if she spoke through clenched teeth.

“How long have you had the cough?” Sam pulled the coat back so he could see what he was working with. “Joe, hold the flashlight so I can see what I’m doing.”

He snapped open his bag and took out his stethoscope to listen to the chest that was trying so hard to keep working.

“Three . . . days.” She whispered and moved her right hand to bare her upper torso.

He tried to ignore the mass of scar tissue revealed by the pushing aside of what looked to be three shirts layered on top of each other. Her skin was cold to the touch. “I need you to sit up for me, ma’am. I can help you, if you don’t mind?”

A hoarse chuckle was his only answer and he gingerly helped her upright then held her through another coughing spell that sounded more like whooping than anything else, even muffled by his coat. She didn’t seem to have the full use of her left arm but her right handed grip on his forearm was firm.

The gurgle of fluid in her right lung was bad especially since he couldn’t hear anything from the left lung. “Ma’am, it sounds to me like a good rousing case of pneumonia that’s not going to get better unless we get you someplace warm and dry. Maybe an IV tube to replace the fluids that you’ve lost.”

“No hospitals.”

“If it’s money that’s a problem, I know the local hospital will accept you anyway, especially if I bring you in.”

“No.”

Sam sighed and went to set her back down. “If we don’t start treating you soon, you could die of pneumonia which would be pretty damn silly in this day and age.”

“No hospitals. That really would kill me.” The tones were racked with pain but still self-assured with an echo of the schoolroom in them that made Sam think twice. Every word was carefully enunciated and the accent sounded like something from the Midwest.

“I can’t leave you here. Because if I did, you’d move so I couldn’t find you again.” Sam was thinking aloud while he sought for a compromise that would get her the treatment she needed. He knew some of the street people were extremely proud and often wary of people of authority.

“Very good, Doctor. You’re not as young as you look.” The faint edge of amusement sent his eyes to her face and he barely kept back an exclamation at the ruined visage under the ragged knit cap.

“How long ago did this happen?” His hand gently touched the vivid red scars that laced the left side of her face. A patch covered what must have once been her left eye.

“Six months. It was . . . an error in judgment.” Her right eye was closed against the glare of the flashlight. “Can you just leave me some antibiotics? And maybe some water?”

“No. You’re closer to the edge than you realize. You need warmth, fluids and food that will nourish you.” Sam pleaded, not really understanding why it meant so much to him that she be treated.

She sighed and a stream of soft fluid syllables came from her chapped lips. It sounded like music and laughter, lilting in the fetid air. Sam had a smattering of different languages from his trips abroad but this didn’t sound like anything he’d ever heard before. Her speech provoked another coughing spell which shook her whole body and he held her through the worst of it.

“Your hospitals would kill me quicker than this disease. I am wanted by people who wish me caught and sent back to my old life. Time is precious but I need my strength back too. This puzzle may yet be beyond me.” Her whisper was more to herself than to her audience of two.

Sam fought the urge to shake some sense into her. “Have you killed anyone?”

“No.” She said flatly. “Nor broken any laws that you would recognize. They keep saying it’s for my own good but they don’t understand what is going to happen.” 

“Fine. There’s a room over my parents’ garage that has no one in it. If I promise not to turn you in to the authorities, will you let me take you someplace safe where you can get better?”

She was silent for a long moment, her labored breathing a rasp in the chill air. “Joe, can I trust him?”

“Yep, mi’lady. He’s one of the safe ones. It’s why I waited until today. The other docs are okay but Doctor Sam is the best of them.” Joe bobbed his head along with the flashlight.

“It seems I must trust you, Doctor. Won’t your parents mind you bringing home a filthy street person?”

Sam flashed on his parents’ reaction and grinned. “They’re used to me bringing home strays.”

Her choked laughter brought on another coughing fit and he gathered her up in his strong arms, picking her up easily. She weighed no more than a hundred pounds and most of that were the layers of cloth that encircled her. “My pack.”

“Joe, would you get her pack and my bag? And light our way out of here?” Sam carried her out of the damp hole and towards the street level.

The wavering light on the steps helped but at a single word, his patient ordered Joe to douse the light before they opened the outer door. Sam wondered just why she was so paranoid and whether or not she had reason. Joe led them swiftly back to the clinic alley and the old blue Chevy that sat at the curb.

“Joe, the keys attached to the flashlight will open the passenger door.” He whispered, caught up in a sudden sense of urgency that seemed to fill the space around them. After the man opened the door, Sam quickly fit her into the front seat. She reached up and flicked off the dome light with a shaky hand.

Joe handed him his doctor’s bag and put a battered black backpack at her feet. Kneeling by her side, he bowed his head and said something so softly that Sam could not make out the words. She placed her hand on his head and spoke in that language she’d used earlier. For a moment, Sam fancied that he could see Joe straighten up and push back his shoulders.

“Go with Her benediction, Joe. If by some quirk of Fate, we meet again, know that you have already been of service to Her.” 

“Thank you, mi’lady. I’ll be ready.” Joe stood up and quietly shut the door while Sam was still trying to figure out what had just transpired and why he felt as if he’d just witnessed something rather significant.

“Thank you for your help, Joe. I’ll take good care of her.” Sam hesitated to leave the man on the street.

His head still up and his shoulders back, Joe looked like a different man than the old derelict of before. “I know you will, Doc. She’s special, real special. It was a privilege to help her.”

“Don’t worry about her. She’ll be well in no time.” Sam held out his hand and took Joe’s in his before circling the car and unlocking the driver’s door. Getting in, he found she’d already found the lever that tilted her seat back. Starting the car, he pulled away from the curb and headed out of town.

There were a thousand things to accomplish and he didn’t have much time. Pushing the speed dial on his car phone, he started the ball rolling. First he called Eleanor and begged off dinner. That took longer than he might have wished, even with him pleading a medical emergency. For the first time in their relationship, he felt constrained and impatient. As soon as he got off the phone with her, he called the head nurse at the hospital and asked who was on off rotation among her nurses.

Impatiently, he listened to the names and realized that none of them would do. For some reason, he felt that only the best would do for this orphan patient. Risking a look at her under a street light, he winced at the slashes that covered her left profile and disappeared down her throat. Whatever had happened looked like it had affected most of her left side. His doctor’s eye cataloged the damage and tried to envision what must have happened to cause those scars. Explosion? Car accident?

It was an error in judgment. Her voice came back to him.

He shook himself free from speculation. His third call was to his mother and at the sound of her voice, he could feel himself relax. “Mom? I’ve got a favor to ask you.”

“Of course, Sweetheart. Aren’t you late for dinner with Eleanor?”

“I just canceled it. I’ve got an emergency case that I’m bringing home. I was hoping that we could use the room over the garage or maybe the guest room in the basement?”

“Oh dear, it sounds serious. Is it someone who’s going to need nursing, Sam?”

“Yes. Pneumonia at the very least.”

Another coughing spell began beside him and he watched her curl up and try to control the spasm to no avail.

“That sounds terrible, Dearest. Bring him on into Grandma’s room. That would be handiest for feeding and watching over him.”

“It’s a ‘her’, Mom. Are you sure you don’t mind? She’s been living on the streets and needs . . . Um . . . a little cleaning up.”

“Hells bells, don’t go all wishy-washy on me, Doctor. I need to be flea dipped at the very least.” Her exasperated hoarse whisper brought a smile to his face.

“I heard that, Sam. I’ll start a hot bath right now and put some soup on for the poor thing. She can wear one of my nightgowns for now. How much longer will you be?”

“About fifteen minutes, Mom. Thanks. I really appreciate it. Bye for now.”

They continued on in silence until she whispered softly. “Is there any water?”

“Sure, hold on.” Sam reached behind him to the cup holder that rode the hump on the back seat floor. The ever-present water bottle felt full to him and he pulled it forward, popping up the top and handing it over to her.

Her left hand grasped it slowly, her right coming up to steady it and he spared a glance down at the further evidence of scarring. It shook in her trembling hands but she managed to get it to her lips. “Oh, that tastes so good. You never really appreciate good water until there isn’t any available.”

Sam snorted. “I know exactly what you mean. When we were in the field, all the water came to us out of metal canisters on the back of diesel trucks. Tasted like the metal itself.”

“Army?” She rested the bottle on her lap.

“Medical Corps with a National Guard Unit. After all those years of school, I wanted to really make a difference instead of just going into practice with my uncle and cousins.”

“Ah.”

Sam blushed. “I know, I know. But we shipped out for every natural disaster in the last four years. And I did some good. Not enough but everything I could.”

“I wasn’t being judgmental, Doctor. I expect that you’ve saved many lives, both abroad and here at home. The inner city sorely needs your concern and care.”

“I do what I can but it’s not enough.” Sam clenched his jaw at the familiar anger over the resources that he had to beg, borrow and steal for the clinic.

Her hand touched him gently before retreating. “It is enough, Dr. Hamilton. And better than no one to see and hear the cries of the wild ones. Like myself.”

Sam nodded tersely, not trusting his voice at that moment. Her touch was red hot and he risked another glance. It was hard to tell but she looked flushed to him. Before he could comment, she beat him to a diagnosis.

“Yes, Doctor, I am running a fever. About 103 degrees right now. My body is fighting as hard as it knows how but I do not have the resources that I once had.”

“Mom is running a bath for you and that will help bring your temperature down. She’s getting my grandmother’s room ready for you.”

“And what is Grandmother going to do if you give her bed away?” She husked out.

“As she has for the last 10 years, she’s already gone south for the winter. But if she were here, she’d insist on nursing you herself. She was an Army nurse in World War II and you couldn’t be in better hands.”

“It appears that I’ve fallen into the clutches of an altruistic family of healers.” Her dry tones made him chuckle.

“Here we are.” Sam signaled and pulled into his parents’ drive, moving the car all the way to the back of the house. The light came on immediately and he nosed the car as close to the garage as he could get. “Wait here and let me come to get you. I don’t want you in the cold any longer than possible.”

His mother stood at the back door, dressed in casual slacks and a warm red sweater. “Sweetheart, I’ve got her room ready.”

He waved at her and crossed to the passenger door. “Okay, put your arms around my neck.”

She buried her head against his coat to still her coughs and he hurried across the patio, taking the back steps two at a time. “Thanks, Mom. We need to get her into something warm.”

“The bath is all ready.” His mom’s sharp eyes missed nothing of the shapeless clothes that Sam could now see under the bright lights were little better then rags on top of rags. “I’ll bring in a garbage bag for her clothes.”

He nodded and carried her through the kitchen that smelled of home to him. A quick sniff told him that chicken soup was warming up and his stomach growled. He was looking forward to his mom’s recipe much more than the over-priced dishes that he could have expected at Chez Henri’s, Eleanor’s favorite restaurant.

The bathroom in his grandmother’s suite was toasty warm and the bath water smelled faintly of eucalyptus. He sat his patient on the closed toilet seat and began to efficiently strip off the layers from her body. A whiff of roses told him that his mother was right behind him. The rustle of a plastic bag told him where to put the clothes he was pulling off.

“Sweetheart, are you going to introduce us?”

Sam paused. “Um, I don’t know her name, Mom.”

“Ruth. My name is Ruth.” The murmur came between coughs and feeble movements as she tried to help him get her clothes off.

“Welcome to our home, Ruth.” 

“Thank you, Mrs. Hamilton. I appreciate your safe haven.” Every layer off revealed more of the terrible scarring on her body and he wondered if he’d be able to find out what had happened. Pulling off her cap, he pondered the snow-white stubble interspersed with scabs. Just how old is she?

Lifting her into the tub, Sam felt her shiver at the sudden temperature change. “Too hot?”

She sighed and her lip quirked up. “There is no such thing as too hot, Doc.”

Sam laughed and handed her the soap. Watching as she seemed to steady, he asked. “Are you going to be all right if we leave you alone to wash?”

“I’ll be fine. Thank you.” She pulled off the eye patch and dropped it on the bathroom mat, ducked under the water and came back up with a look of bliss on her scarred face.

“Here’s some shampoo that you may like.” His mom never flinched at the gruesome sight, just handed over her own jar of expensive salon treatment. He hugged her with one arm before leading her out of the bathroom. They headed for the kitchen, leaving the two doors open so they could listen for any problems.

“Well, this is the biggest stray you’ve brought home yet, Sam. And probably the most hurt.” His mom gave him a squeeze before letting go. She reached up for a big yellow bowl. “Make some toast while I’m dishing up your dinner. Did you call and beg off from Eleanor?”

“Yes. You never did like her, did you, Mom?” He popped in two pieces of the whole-wheat toast that he loved and listened for the tone in her voice that he thought he’d heard before. Stripping off his lab coat, he hung it on the back of his chair.

“Nonsense, dear. She’s all right. I did just wonder what you two had in common. But it’s true that opposites do attract. Look at your father and me.” She smiled at him and ladled out some of the homemade chicken noodle soup that was her secret recipe for everything that ailed her family.

“Well, I’m beginning to wonder myself.” He pulled down some plates and found the butter dish on the counter behind the cookie jar. Inhaling deeply, he smiled and removed the lid to find the chocolate chip bars that he loved. “Mom, I love you. And not just for your cooking.” He dropped a kiss onto her soft brown hair.

“I love you too, Sweetheart. Now, tell me what you know about that interesting looking woman in Mother’s tub.” She set the full bowl down at the table and pointed to it sternly.

Sam grinned and began the story while he buttered his bread. He continued between spoonfuls of soup and bites of toast. He’d learned how to talk and eat at the same time in his residency at Johns Hopkins. She listened while seated across the table from him, sipping a hot cup of tea.

About the time he finished, they heard the sound of wastewater rushing through the pipes. She laid a hand over his when he started to get up. “Let me, Sam. I can help her out of the tub and get her dried. Fill a cup about half full of just the broth. She’ll be able to handle it herself so she won’t feel quite so helpless.”

Sam nodded and rose to do her bidding. When she had that tone in her voice, even his father obeyed her. He thought about what he’d have to do to get the supplies he needed to set up her IV. Thinking about antibiotics, he strained out just the broth into a yellow mug stopping at three quarters full. She needed something to suppress the cough so she could sleep. He pulled down one of the wooden trays that they used at Christmas and laid a blue and yellow napkin on it for a place mat.

Maybe, their neighbor’s daughter Kathy would be willing to watch her while he was doing rounds at the hospital tomorrow. Making a mental note to give her a call after 11 when she’d get home from her Wednesday night lecture at the college, he buttered a slice of toast for Ruth, cut it into squares and set them on one of the matching saucers. Remembering her comment about water, he filled one of his little brother’s sports mugs with cold water from the fridge. He had the preliminary things in his medical bag for tonight but he’d have to figure out some kind of story for why he needed the drugs.

“Sweetheart, you can come in now.”

Picking up the tray he’d just prepared, he headed back to his strange new patient. I hope I can get her to talk. Find out how she came to be here. Why there isn’t much time left? And who could possibly be after her?


	2. Enigmas

Julie Hamilton had coped with all kinds of strays that her brood of three boys had brought home over the years, but this was the first human with which she’d ever been presented. The poor thing was kneeling in the now empty tub trying to lift herself out but her strength seemed to have run out with the dirty bath water.

“Please let me help, Ruth. It would be rather poor hospitality to let you slip in the tub and hurt yourself worse than you already feel.” Her words covered her lifting the stranger up and out of the tub while wrapping a towel around her. “Now, sit here so we can get you dried off. Do those scars hurt as bad as they look?”

“Not anymore.” She husked out. “I never realized how very therapeutic a bath could be. Thank you for the shampoo. It smells like . . . roses. Something I never thought to smell again.”

Julie thought about that odd statement while soaking up the water on the head beneath her hands with another towel, blotting rather than rubbing. The cuts there were shallow and better healed than the ones on her face and body. Just thin red lines now. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. My husband, Edward, first gave it to me on our honeymoon, many years ago. I keep using it because it seems to like my hair.”

A rusty chuckle came from the depths of the towel. “I tend to just use the cheapest shampoo I can find. And it has been two weeks since I was able to indulge.”

“There. It’s so short, it dries almost instantly.” Julie touched the short bristles of white. It was silky and almost startling in color.

“Easier to take care of.” She started coughing again and Julie braced her to keep her upright. When the spasm ended, she stepped away a pace, her hands on the towel-clad shoulders. 

“Let me get you a nightgown. I found an old flannel one from a few years back.” She stepped over to the heated towel rack and felt the old blue sleep shirt to make sure that it was warm through. “I kept it because it feels so comforting. Are you dry enough?”

“Yes, thank you. I appreciate all your care and trouble.” She stood and let the towel fall back to the toilet seat. Her body was a strange sight, half of it scarred and the other half the normal body of a middle aged woman.

Julie dressed her in the soft flannel, helping her get the weaker left arm through the long sleeve. It fell below Ruth’s knees and she measured her against her own height of 5 foot, 6 inches, estimating her at about two inches shorter. “Come on then, let’s get you into bed so Sam can do a better job than he did in the dark.”

“He did all right under the poor conditions. I am very lucky that he was willing to come at all.” She moved shakily to the bedroom. “Are you quite sure that your mother won’t mind me staying in her bedroom?”

“Oh, my dear, she’d be the first one to welcome you.” Julie pictured her white haired terror of a mother-in-law and chuckled. “Of course, the inquisition she’d put you through would probably send you screaming out into the night.”

Ruth quirked up the right side of her mouth and sat on the edge of the turned down bed before swinging her feet up. “Sounds like my old drill sergeant. Military Intelligence lost a real interrogator when he went into training recruits instead.”

Julie laughed and tucked her in, noticing the little shivers that raced over her battered body. Feeling her forehead, she realized that Ruth’s temperature had spiked again. Raising her voice, she called out to her son. “Sweetheart, you can come in now.”

The clink of crockery alerted them both to Sam’s presence. Julie took a good look at the pretty tray he’d arranged for their guest and smiled approvingly. She’d taught him well. Grabbing another pillow, she raised Ruth up and stuffed it behind her. “That looks very nice, Sam. All those etiquette lessons appear to have paid off.”

“You always said they would, Mom.” Sam smiled the boyish smile that had always melted her into a puddle. He’d inherited her brown hair and dark eyes but the beak of a nose came straight from Edward and Mother Penelope. His caring nature came from her mother, Sophie.

Ruth accepted the tray onto her blanket-covered lap. “It looks very good indeed.” She raised the cup with both hands and the left sleeve fell away to reveal the criss-cross scars that laced her arm.

Sam brought a chair from the dressing table to sit by his patient while Julie remained perched on the side of the bed. “Was it an explosion that caused the scarring?”

She finished the soup and put the cup down with a long contented sigh. “Someone planted a bomb in my place of work. We’d just finished a major remodeling that took two bloody years to finish. I was damned if I was going to let some terrorist undo all our hard work. So while the building was being evacuated, I moved the suitcase bomb out the back. I got as far as the loading dock when it went off, blowing me through the work bay and two sets of glass windows. Luckily I was the only one hurt. I’ve been on the disabled list ever since.”

Julie shivered at her matter-of-fact recital. “Eat your toast, dear. Is that cold water in the mug, Sam?”

“Yes, Mom. Okay, I understand why the scars but who’s after you that you’re afraid of going to the hospital? The terrorists?” Sam opened his bag and took out an electronic thermometer. Sticking it in her right ear, he waited for the beep. “Damn, its back up to 103. Mom, is Dad still at the hospital?”

“Yes, they’re having finance committee meetings all week. Do you want me to call him so he can bring home supplies?” She hoped she’d always be able to read his mind.

“Thanks, Mom.” He cast her another of his grins and began writing down what Ruth would need.

She was busy eating the small rectangles of toast with a look of bliss on her face. Julie approved of her priorities. “More toast, dear? Or perhaps a nice hot cup of tea?”

That single eye opened and in the subdued light of the room, it appeared almost silver instead of the gray she thought she’d seen in the bathroom. “By any chance, might you have some chamomile tea? It will soothe any upset I might get from putting real food into my stomach.”

“Of course, Ruth. I’ll go make it while I’m talking to Edward. Give me the list, Sam and I’ll call him now.” Julie got up and took the list from her son. “I’ll be right back.”

Julie strode briskly to the kitchen phone and hit the speed dial for the hospital. “Hello, Jean, this is Julie Hamilton. Is Dr. Hamilton still in that dreary meeting?” She turned up the gas under the teakettle and stretched the cord to the cupboard where she kept her teas. “Really? What in the world can they find so interesting for four solid hours?” She found the gray box with the mix of herbal teas in it and searched until she found a bag marked ‘chamomile’. “Oh, they’re breaking up now. Wonderful, could you have Edward come to the phone? Thanks, Jean.”

A few moments later, the deep tones of her husband came across the wires. “Julie? Is everything all right?”

“Well, we have an unexpected house guest, dearest. Sam brought home a very sick woman who’s afraid of hospitals. He gave me a list of things he needs you to bring home.”

“Good heavens. What will that boy do next?” He sighed heartily and Julie giggled under her breath at the familiar question. “Fax me the list and I’ll see what I can do. I should be home within the hour.”

“Thank you, dearest. She’s really quite sick with a temp of 103. Starving as well. But for some reason, she’s quite serious about not letting anyone in authority know where she is.” Julie poured the boiling water over the teabag in the blue mug. “We put her in Mother Penelope’s room.”

“Mother would be so pleased.” His dry humor echoed across the airwaves and she laughed at him.

“I’ll fax it to your office. How about a nice hot cup of tea when you get home?”

“Hm-m-m, how about a nice hot wife instead?” The sexy innuendo made her blush, even after all these years.

“I think that could be arranged, Doctor. Hurry home.” She made her voice go sultry with a hint of promise.

He made a kissing sound and hung up. Julie laughed out loud and shook her head in fond memory of other phone calls when they’d made love to each other long distance. Not to mention her clever husband’s playacting would ensure that anyone on the other end of the conversation would just think that her call was to hurry him home. She put the sheet into the fax machine and hit the speed dial for Edward’s office.

Then deciding that the tea had brewed long enough, she picked it up and went back to the sickroom. Ruth was finishing a coughing spell in Sam’s arms, her head buried in his shoulder. The look on her son’s face was grim and his eyes met hers over the bowed white head. Julie nodded and sat back down on Ruth’s other side.

She watched as her son tenderly laid Ruth back against the pillow. He was a good man just like his father and just as good as a doctor. He would go far in his profession if he could just find the right path. His gentleness and caring set him apart from some of the doctors she’d seen come and go over the years. Julie had worried when he’d shipped out with his unit to one disaster zone after another but he’d thrived and grown in experience until he’d returned after this last deployment silent and thoughtful.

Something had happened. Something he was still coming to terms with. She’d given him openings, made sure he knew he could come to her when he wanted to talk but so far he hadn’t. Perhaps this patient would provide her with a way to find out what was wrong. Sending up a silent prayer to the Goddess of Sons Who Were Too Big To Dictate To, she handed over the mug of fragrant tea to the woman who trembled against the white pillowcases, looking as pale as whey.

Ruth took a sip and closed her eye, the old black patch covering the socket of the lost eye. “Thank you, ma’am. I really appreciate this. After all these years, I still find this simple herb soothing.”

“I know what you mean. My mother used to make us drink it when we were small.”

“Grandma Sophie was always making us drink it before we went to bed when ever we visited.” Sam sat back and cast a look her way. “Did you get hold of Dad?”

“Yes, I faxed your list to him and enticed him to come home early for a little quality time.” Julie batted her eyes and mock simpered at Sam’s groan.

Ruth chuckled then fought back another spasm of coughs. “It’s good to know that there is still love in the world. How long have you been married?”

“35 years, next month. Our oldest son, Peter, turned 35 this year as well. We were in a bit of a hurry to have a family.” Julie said with an exaggerated wink to the other woman. “Sam here followed two years later. Now, Toby was a surprise fifteen years after Sam. But a lovely surprise indeed. He’s off to college right now but he’ll be here over Christmas break. Perhaps you’ll meet him then?”

Ruth’s face looked as if she were communing with someone they couldn’t see. Then she shook her head. “I must be on my way as soon as I’m better. There isn’t much time left. The Winter Solstice this year will be an . . . interesting one.”

“You celebrate the solstices, then?” Julie had never met a practicing Wiccan before but she’d always wanted to. “Or are they called Sabbats instead?”

Ruth smiled her one sided smile and the silver eye winked at her. “Either. The traditions have been handed down for many years. The memory is strong in my family.”

“Well, if you’ve got a good spell for healing, I’d use it now. Your remaining lung is filling with fluid at a rapid rate and your fever has gone up again.” Sam shook his head and felt for her pulse.

“The Goddess takes care of her own. At the time of the . . . accident, I was out of shape and over weight. Four months in hospital and rehab took care of both those problems. I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my commitment to Her if I was not in . . . fighting trim.” Ruth took another sip of tea. “It’s only for a little while longer now.”

“Goodness, dear, you sound like those people who just knew the millennium bugs would herald all sorts of disasters last January.” Julie laughed and thought back over the spotty power outages and small crashes of hardware that had occurred on the 1st of January 2000. The dreaded Y2K had proven to be a tempest in a teapot.

Ruth chuckled and shook her head against the pillow. “Not the millennium bug I’m talking about. This has more to do with an alignment of the stars. I’ve studied astrology for some time now and it’s time for a rather unusual pattern to occur. It has been two thousand years since the last time.”

“How fascinating, my dear.” Julie rescued the cup before it could spill out of the wavering hands. “Right now though, I think you should take a little nap. We’ll wake you when Edward gets home.” 

When she went to take the pillows from behind the dozing patient, Sam stopped her with a little headshake. Beckoning her to the kitchen, he followed her out with the tray and whispered in her ear. “She will have to sleep propped for awhile. Her only lung has fluid in it and her breathing would be impaired if she went flat.”

“Of course!” Julie was angry with herself for not thinking. “Here give me the tray so I can wash up. Why don’t you put on some more water so we can make a pot of tea? Ruth might like another cup when she wakes up. And while you’re at it, bring the cookie jar to the table, too. I could use a little chocolate pick-me-up.”

“You’re the best, Mom.” Sam kissed her cheek and headed for the counter.

“If I am, it’s because you’re one of the best sons a woman could ask for.” Julie smiled at him and surprised a wistful look on his face. What in the world? Maybe he’s ready to tell me what’s wrong.

“Toby is a better student than I ever was. And Peter will be a general before he retires.” Sam sat down and looked at the cookie in his hand as if it had all the secrets of the universe in it.

“You were a very good student. You just preferred hands on training rather than book learning while you were growing up. I never knew you wanted to be a general. Didn’t you say something about not going for the next promotion to major?” Julie sat down across from him and eyed him shrewdly.

“No, I didn’t mean that.” He looked at her uncertainly. “I just don’t want Dad and you to be disappointed in me.”

“Sam, as long as you’re doing what you want to do with all your heart, your father and I will be as proud as we can be. I thought medicine was what you wanted to do.” Julie was stumbling in the dark here, trying to feel her way to the heart of her son.

Sam shook his head and smiled ruefully. “I do want to be a doctor, Mom. It’s all I ever wanted to be and I think I’m doing a good job. But I like being a GP so I’ll never bring home awards like Dad does.”

“It’s not about awards, Sweetheart. It’s about saving lives and helping people to live better lives. And you know that. What is really bothering you?” Julie was ready for any more evasions. But the slamming of a car door interrupted them and Sam was up and moving to the back before the new arrival could reach it.

Damn, damn, damn! I almost had him. Julie sighed and twirled her teacup in her hand. The soft kiss on top of her head and the scent of Old Spice aftershave told her who was home. “Hello, dear. Did you bring everything?”

“A fine welcome, Jul. Here I am after a long day at work and all you can say is ‘hello dear, did you bring everything’? I guess the honeymoon’s finally over.” Edward’s mock mournful accents sighed against the crown of her hair.

Julie giggled and pulled him down into a kiss that started soft and ended with a lack of oxygen on both their parts. Opening her eyes, she caught that wistful look again on Sam’s face. Ah, ha! It’s not his job but his love life that he’s not sure of. I wondered why he’d begun dating Eleanor Wenton. She’s not right for him at all. Ruth is more his type if it comes right down to it. Except for her age. Could that be it? He’s fallen in love with someone he thinks we’d find unsuitable. Maybe someone he met on this last mission?

“Honey?”

Julie came out of her thoughts to find Edward looking at her anxiously. “I’m sorry, love. I just had an odd thought. I’ll tell you about it later. For now, we need to get Ruth started on the drugs she needs to conquer the pneumonia.”

“Pneumonia? That could be serious.” Edward left her and followed Sam into the bedroom with his medical bag.

Julie sighed and began making the tea Sam had forgotten. She moved slowly about her kitchen, her hands creating by rote memory while her thoughts scattered over the epiphany that she’d just had. She hated to think that any of the boys would be afraid to bring someone they loved home. Had she and Edward set such impossibly high standards that they had intimidated their sons into hiding a part of their lives?

No, Peter dated when he was home but his career meant too much to him at the moment to take the time to wed. He tended to date beautiful women who just needed a handsome man on their arm. Oh my God! It’s the same pattern. He chooses women that he couldn’t possibly be interested in except for play. Just like Sam dates that society wench, Eleanor. 

She sat again at the table, shaken by her thoughts, her eyes staring at nothing at all. At 35 and 33, her eldest boys were far beyond the age when she and Edward had married. But times were different now. People lived longer these days and they liked to take their time in choosing a mate. A lot of their friends families still had unmarried men and women in their number. It didn’t mean there was anything wrong.

Did it? Julie promised herself a heart to heart talk with Sam before another day was done. The young man came back into the kitchen with a smile on his face and she put her worries away for the moment. “Is she awake? Do you think she’d like another cup of tea?”

“I think she would. Dad just helped her into the bathroom. I’m going to stay down here tonight. I moved Grandma Penelope’s recliner over to the bed so I’ll be fine.” Sam stopped talking and cocked his head. “Are you okay, Mom?”

“I’m fine, Sweetheart. I just had a scary thought or two. She seems like such a nice woman to be living in the streets. And she never did answer your question about the terrorists.” Julie knew when to blur the trail.

“Well, at the moment, I think she’s safe and hopefully on her way to getting better. But for now, we should probably keep silent about our . . . guest.” Sam shrugged and picked up the tray with teapot and cups her hands had unconsciously set.

“Darn, I was going to tell my book discussion group about her tomorrow night.” Julie sighed dramatically and enjoyed her son’s laughter. “Well, I guess it can’t be helped. Lucky for you, I don’t have the book club here tomorrow night. We’re meeting over at Sylvia’s. You didn’t have plans, did you, dear?”

“Nope. Just some racquetball with a friend at the YMCA.” Sam headed for the bedroom and Julie followed him.

“I don’t leave until seven if you still want to meet with him right after work. I’ll have dinner ready so you won’t have to fix any. Bring your friend home with you. Oops, that won’t work.” Julie grimaced.

“I trust Eli, he wouldn’t give her away.” Sam smiled down at his patient where his father was settling her in. “More tea, Ruth?”

“Heaven, Sam. Pure heaven. That shot has already started to work.” Her speech was just a touch slurred and her right hand wavered a bit as it accepted the cup of tea.

“Jul, you weren’t kidding about the tea.” Edward pouted over Ruth’s propped up body.

She laughed and crooked her finger at him. “I believe it was a ‘hot wife’ you were promised, Doctor. And if you’ll come upstairs, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Yes!” Edward shot up and circled the bed to the accompaniment of choked laughter from the other two.

Julie fled out the door and up the stairs with her husband hot on her heels. At the top of the stairs, he caught her and picked her up to carry her down to their bedroom. They were kissing all the way until he dropped her on the bed and rubbed his hands with a leering look.

“You got me, love. How about we share a shower before I trip you into bed and make mad passionate love to you?” She did a little leering of her own.

“You’ve got a deal, babe. But you have to promise that you’ll tell me what’s bothering you.” Edward was already unbuttoning his shirt, his shrewd eyes assessing her like the diagnostician he was.

“Damn, you caught me.” Julie swung her legs over the bed and studied the toes of her penny loafers before kicking them off. “I’m a little worried about Sam and the reason he’s dating that Eleanor.”

“We’ve never interfered before in any of the boys dating. They have the best example of all in the two of us. Through thick and thin, we’ve hung together. I can truthfully say I love you more today than I did the day we married.” His eyes softened and his hand was gentle as he tucked her hair back behind her ear.

“I know, love. But we come from the same social strata and neither of us dated much outside of our ‘group’ before we married. The world is a different place these days. What if Sam fell in love with some woman down in Guatemala last year or Kosovo, just two months ago? One who doesn’t speak our language or come from a well-to-do family? Wouldn’t he know he could bring her home?” Julie looked up at him beseechingly.

“Of course, he would. And we’d welcome her with the same care and concern we’ve just shown to little Ruth. If he loved her with all his heart, we would too. And in time she’d learn our language while we learned some of hers. Is that what you’ve been worried about since he got back home two months ago?” Edward drew her to her feet and into his warm embrace.

“It just came to me this evening. What if she’s scarred or a paraplegic? We haven’t ever talked about that before.” She hugged him tightly. “I’m being silly, I expect but for some reason I felt all discombobulated tonight.”

“It’s the sudden guest and her horrible injuries that have you flustered. But you’ve seen worse in the wards before. Remember that car crash last year with the five victims from age six to thirty?” He rocked her a little and she nodded against his chest. “You were great with the little boy with the burns over 70% of his body. His own mother could hardly bear to look at him and you read to him every day.”

“I know, Edward. It’s just sometimes I’m afraid we think they ‘know’ something because we do and they really don’t know it would be all right when it would really be all right.” Julie knew she wasn’t making much sense but just saying it made her feel better.

“Oo-kay, I think I got that one figured out. If it is really worrying you, why don’t you talk to Sam tomorrow?” He kissed her forehead and stepped back far enough to see her face. “I’ll bet he’s been dying to tell but just didn’t have the nerve. Withhold the cookies until he’s told you. That ought to do it.”

Julie laughed out loud and nodded. “Tomorrow, love. But for now, I believe I promised you a hot night in the old town tonight.”

“All right!” Edward ripped off his tie and stalked her into the bathroom, tickling her as they went.

She protested not at all.


	3. Dream One

The mountain stood above us as it always had, tall and serene in the distance. Snow still capped the peak and the water that flowed from the ice fields was almost too cold to drink. My brother stood beside me while we watched Papa talking to the monks from the monastery at the foot of the mountain.

“Have you seen Mama since she went inside?” Ping asked me.

“No. I wish she’d come out.” I shivered and he put his arm around my shoulders. 

“Me, too. I want to go home, Li. She’ll probably be out anytime now.” Ping was two years older than me and he always protected me whenever I was frightened.

“Boys, come here.” Papa called to us and the frown on his face was scary.

“Yes, Papa.” Ping and I crossed the brushed earth floor of the courtyard and bowed to the two men who stood waiting for us.

The priest looked at us and smiled but it wasn’t a happy smile. It seemed full of sorrow like he was very sad but didn’t want us to know. It made my stomach flutter like when Papa put me up on his shoulder and I rode high above the ground.

“Your mother has asked to see you before we leave for home.” Papa’s voice was angry but his face didn’t show it.

“If you will follow me, I will take you to her.” The priest bowed to Papa then gestured to Ping and me to follow him.

I held tight to Ping’s hand while we crossed through a moon gate and down a path that led into a beautiful garden. There was a big grove of bamboo that shivered in the breeze. The sun turned the stalks almost yellow and I watched them even after we’d passed them, turning my head until the path twisted in another direction and I lost sight of the silvery leaves.

“Mama!” Ping saw her first, sitting on a stone bench under a flowering almond tree. Then we were running past the priest straight into her arms and she was holding us tight while saying our names over and over.

She was crying into my hair and now I was really scared because Mama never cried unless it was really bad. I hugged her as hard as I could from between her knees. She wasn’t wearing any of her pretty robes but pants like Papa wore. The surprise at that made me stop crying.

“Mama, what’s wrong? Why is Papa mad?” Ping sat beside her on the bench with one of her arms around him.

She sighed and rested her cheek on my head. “Ping, there isn’t much time. Do you remember two moons ago when I fell down the stairs?” She waited for us to nod. It had been a scary time until she woke up and recognized us. The healer had stayed for three days while she lay silent and still under the blanket.

“While I was asleep, the Goddess Kwan Yin came to me and told me of a task only I can perform. Your papa didn’t want me to fulfill Her bidding and I had no wish to leave the three of you but She will not be denied.” Her soft red lips kissed my temple and the beat of her heart under my ear comforted me.

“Will you have to go away?” Ping asked her.

“Yes, my son. I never wish to leave you but time is short and when she came to me two days ago and showed me what was going to happen, I had to leave you and travel here. Her sacred mountain is where I must fulfill the prophecy.” I felt another tear soak into my black hair and I raised my head to look into her soft brown eyes. 

“When will you come home again?” I asked her while I patted the tears softly into her cheek.

She shook her head and looked up at the mountain. “I don’t know, little one. But even if it takes a long time, you must know I love you both with all my heart. Where ever I am, I will be thinking of you and loving you. Do you understand me?”

Her voice was fierce and her eyes were full of fire. Ping and I nodded slowly, he looked like he had more questions but she kissed him gently on the cheek then me. “I need to get started, my little loves. Obey your papa and listen to the earth when it speaks to you. Do you remember what to do when the earth shakes and heaves?”

“Crawl under the heavy table in our room or go outside far away from walls and trees.” Ping recited our lessons.

“Good boy. Both of you remember I love you. And if She wills it, I will return to you.” She smiled at us and hugged each of us separately before standing up and turning us towards the monk who waited at the curve of the path.

Ping and I walked hand in hand away from mama and just before we turned the corner, I looked back to see her holding something bright and shiny in her hand. Holding her cupped hands to the sun, the glow spilled out over her like a shower of light. My heart hurt because she didn’t look like my mother anymore and somehow I knew I would never see her again. The tears started then and . . .


	4. Longings

Toby came awake with a start, sitting up in bed with a gasp and the traces of tears on his cheeks. “Shit, that was worse than last night.” He rubbed his face with shaky hands. The emotions were so strong with this dream. Taking a deep breath, he let it out and reached for the notebook and pen he’d started leaving by his bed. This was the third night of dreams and he was beginning to think he was going to have to talk to someone about them.

He wrote down every detail he could remember and when he was done, he set the notebook aside and got up to head down the hall to the bathroom. It was quiet in the dorm halls, everybody was either out taking a test or studying for one. The hall clock said it was 6 a.m. and he swore silently. This was way too early to be up and about but he knew he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.

He finished pissing away the beer he’d consumed the night before and pulled his sweat pants back up. Going out to wash his hands, he looked at himself in the mirror above the sink. He looked the way he always looked. Straw colored hair tousled every which way, green eyes and his mom’s nose instead of the hawk nose that his big brothers had inherited from Dad. 6 foot 4 inches, not three foot nothing and Chinese to boot. For a moment though, he saw the dream Li reflected back at him.

Clutching the sink, he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the cold mirror.

“Toby, are you all right?” A concerned voice came from the swinging doors.

“Yeah. Fine.”

“Now, why don’t I believe you, Hot Shot?”

Toby stepped back and opened his eyes to meet a soft pair of brown, almond shaped eyes. “Because you know me pretty well, Mei Ling?”

“That could be it. You’ve been getting tenser since Tuesday. Is it your Psych exam?” The petite Chinese student stood beside him and looked up from her diminutive height of 5 foot 4 inches. Which meant she looked up quite a ways.

“No. I don’t think so.” He thought about it for a moment. “Although it does have to do with some kind of weird psychology. Do you have time to talk for a bit?”

“Sure. My calculus test isn’t until 8:30. Let me take care of business and I’ll come down to your room. Or better yet, you can buy me breakfast at the Student Union.” She waggled her eyebrows at him and he grinned down at her.

“Sounds good. I’ll see you in a minute.” He left and hurried back to his room to get dressed. Jeans and a sweatshirt didn’t take long but he was still lacing up his boots when she tapped on his door. “Come on in. I just need to get something for you to read.”

“Well, that’s a better pickup line than the one you used on Natalie last week.” Her dry tones always made him laugh and today was no different. She was wearing a black jacket with the collar up and her red mittens waggled at him comically.

Grabbing his green quilted vest, he stuck the notebook in his outer pocket. “Let’s go. I’m suddenly starving.”

They exited the dorms and headed across campus with its light dusting of snow. He breathed deeply and let it go with an explosive exhalation. “Damn, I’m glad mid-terms are almost over. I’ve just got Psych at 10 this morning and then I think I’ll head home for a visit.”

“That’s new. I thought you were going to New York with Rick for a Broadway fix.” She tugged on his elbow and glared him into slowing down.

Obediently, he shortened his stride and shrugged. “Yeah, I know. But . . . I just need to touch base. Do you ever get hunches?”

“It’s called women’s intuition, thank you very much.” She cocked her head and looked sideways at him. “I have my fair share. Does this ‘hunch’ have something to do with what you want to talk about?”

“Yeah. For the last three nights, I’ve had the same dream.” He held the door to the quietly humming Student Union for her and followed her in. The cafeteria was open 24/7 during midterm week and they quickly chose their favorite breakfasts before finding an empty table near the big plate glass windows overlooking the outdoor patio.

He handed her the notebook open to what he’d written after the first night. “They’re all pretty much the same. But last night was a little different. Read first while you’re eating then ask me questions.”

“Sure.” She propped it up on the napkin holder beside her corn flakes and poured the milk first before starting to read.

He buttered his warm blueberry bagel and opened the container of plain yogurt while watching her out of the corner of his eye. She flipped the first page over and read the second dream, her spoon moving slowly from the bowl to her mouth. He realized he had always approved of her eating habits since he couldn’t stand people who chewed with their mouths open. Grinning faintly to himself, he reminded himself to give his mom a hug when he saw her next. That foible was all hers.

That thought, however, reminded him of his dream-self and the pain of losing his mother to the Goddess. He chewed thoughtfully and wondered why he thought of it that way. Somehow, he knew Li’s mother had never come home to her sons. The little boy had realized that when he saw the light cascading over her.

“Well, these are really detailed.” Mei Ling’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Were the dreams as full of energy as what you’ve written seems to say?”

“Yeah. I was there, Mei Ling, in the courtyard, looking at the bamboo. I could taste the cold mountain water, feel Ping’s hand in mine, smell the almond flowers in the tree where Mama was sitting.”

“Well, I have to say that it sounds to me more like a past life experience than a dream.” She said matter of factly. “What kind of robes were the monks wearing?”

“Brown with blue sashes.”

“Hm-m, pre-Buddha. We’re probably talking B.C. Describe for me the mountain. One peak or two, what kind of elevation are we talking? Himalayas or maybe the Altai Mountain range? Former Han or Later Han? Did your father have a title? How was he dressed?” She flipped to an empty page and started taking notes.

“Past life? Are you nuts?” Toby finally broke through her questions.

She leveled a measuring gaze at him. “Fine. Your subconscious is simply telling you you’ve been abandoned by your mother and suffer from a neurosis because of those feelings of rejection.”

“Mom didn’t abandon me. She doesn’t know what to do with me sometimes but she never rejected me. Not even when I told her and Dad I wanted to be an archaeologist.” Toby glared at her.

“Then explain the intense detail of a China that no longer exists.” She went back to spooning up her soggy cereal.

Toby opened his mouth then stopped to think, closing his eyes and concentrating on the scenes that were becoming so familiar. Some of the details were more vivid than his memories of his last trip home. “Shit. This is too weird.”

Mei Ling snorted. “Is your mother in the dream your current mom?”

“No.” Toby opened his eyes, surprised as his quick answer. His eyes met his friend’s and he saw the compassion there. For the first time, he wondered why the first person who’d asked him what was wrong, was the person who specialized in the ancient history of his dream-self. “Oh hell, it does feel like memories. But why now? I’ve never wondered about reincarnation or karma or any of that religious stuff.”

“Good question. Nothing from home that might have raised up hidden memories?” She asked quietly while peeling her banana.

He watched the yellow peel fall to the table. “Nothing. The dreams just started three days ago out of nowhere.”

“But you are feeling an urge to go home because of the dreams.” She broke the banana in two and offered him half. 

Toby shook his head no and ran the fingers of his right hand through his hair. “Yes. Part of this feeling is the need to touch base and collect some hugs. But part of it is an . . . I don’t know what to call it, an itch at the back of my mind that says I’m needed somewhere.”

“Cool. Can I come too? I do speak the language.” She batted her eyes at him and he broke into laughter, finally accepting the half of banana from her fingers.

“Sure. Why not? The more the merrier.” He finished the banana in two bites. “Now, what were your other questions?”

Mei Ling took notes while she quizzed him about all he’d seen around him. Halfway through a question, she noticed the time, shrieked in dismay and ran from the cafeteria. Toby checked his watch and realized they’d been talking for two hours. Oh yeah, she had a midterm at 8:30. Shoving the notebook into his pocket, he cleared the table of their breakfast debris and headed back to the dorm. He wanted to pack before his Psych test so they could leave right after.

His test went like a breeze; all the answers clear in his head. The essay part was a little trickier since the urge to leave was getting stronger but he buckled down and wrote three pages of semi-intelligent answer. Handing in his blue book with a sigh of relief, he practically ran to the dorms, only stopping on third floor to tell Rick he was going home instead. When he got to his room, Mei Ling was waiting on the floor outside his door with a big book in her lap and her backpack by her side. 

“Won’t be two minutes. I’m already packed.” He said, stepping over her and unlocking his door.

“No hurry. Can we stop for lunch on the way? I’m starving.” She spoke around the apple in her mouth.

“Why you don’t weigh three hundred pounds is beyond me.” Toby said over his shoulder while he found his car keys and picked up his small suitcase.

“My metabolism takes care of all that. The women of my family are all big eaters. If I remember correctly, your mom is a very good cook.” Mei Ling stood and slung her pack over one shoulder. 

“Yes, she’s a good cook and yes, we can stop for lunch on the way. If we take highway 9, we’ll be in Worcester before you faint from hunger.” He dodged her blow and let her chase him all the way down to the parking lot.

******************** 

“Mom! I’m home.” Toby called out while ushering Mei Ling into the kitchen. He headed first to the cookie jar and brought it back to the table before checking the message center on the refrigerator.

“Keep it down, Toby.” The voice startled him into spinning around.

“Sam? What are you doing home in the middle of the day?” Toby took a good look at his big brother and wondered when he’d last had a good night’s sleep. His hair was standing up every which way and the circles under his eyes told of sleepless nights – a lot of sleepless nights.

“I could ask you the same question. Did Mom know you were coming home this weekend?” Sam ran one hand through his hair and sat down next to Mei Ling. “Good to see you again, Mei Ling. Are there any cookies left?”

“Yep. I guess I could spare you a couple.” She grinned at him and slid the jar over. “Of course, they’d go better with milk.”

“I’m getting it, I’m getting it. Sheesh, you’re so impatient.” Toby grabbed three glasses from the cupboard, bringing them and the milk to the table. “Is there a problem, Sam? Why you’re home, I mean.”

Sam cocked his head towards the open door to their grandmother’s suite before answering. “I brought home a patient a couple of days ago and we put her in Grandma Penelope’s room. She’s got pneumonia and it was kind of touch and go there for a while. We’ve been taking turns watching her.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Mei Ling poured a glass of milk and slid it to Toby before pouring one for Sam. “Toby and I could help, too.”

Rubbing his temple, Sam nodded his thanks for the milk, draining it with a long swallow. “She’s better. The problem is her lungs. When she went through the explosion, she shredded her left lung. The flail chest is healing very slowly. So when her good lung started filling with fluid, she was in big trouble. Dad brought home some experimental drugs and they started to work yesterday.”

“But you’re still not sure.” Toby shook his head affectionately at his favorite brother. “You can be such a worry-wart.”

Sam chuckled tiredly. “I know it, Toby. But the important thing is that she is getting better. Now, why did you come home so unexpectedly? Is everything all right?”

“Mid-terms went okay. But I just had an itch to come home.” Toby debated with himself for a moment then went ahead. “Had some strange dreams that kind of threw me. Mei Ling and I thought we’d do a little research at the Peabody while we were here.”

“Care to share them?”

Toby grinned at the question. The really nice thing about his brother was his ability to focus completely on you when you had his attention. And he always wanted to help. “Mei Ling has them. She was taking notes while I drove.”

“Here, Sam. Start with dream one.” Mei Ling had already pulled out the notebook and turned to the right page.

Sam started reading and the other two watched him while he skimmed through the first dream, read the second a little less quickly then very slowly read the third. Toby poured them all more milk, getting up to rinse the gallon jug clean and write ‘milk’ on the ongoing shopping list on the fridge. Sitting back down, he saw that Sam had finished reading and was staring into someplace very far away.

“They’re very detailed, Toby.” Sam came back to them, his eyes turning to Toby as if measuring him.

“I know. I swear that it felt like I was there, Sam. All my senses were tuned up and feeding me so much data that it felt a little overwhelming. I woke up crying Li’s tears. Weird.” 

“I can imagine.” Sam was turning his glass around and around.

The sound of hoarse coughing came from the room behind them and Sam was on his feet in an instant, moving quickly back into the bedroom. Toby grimaced at the ugly sounding cough that never seemed to end. Sam’s gentle murmur was soothing and pretty soon the room went quiet. His brother appeared in the doorway then crossed to the table.

His voice dropped to almost a whisper. “She’d like to meet you. I need to warn you that she’s very badly scarred. Her left side is disfigured and she lost her left eye in the explosion. Just . . . be prepared.”

Toby nodded solemnly at the same time Mei Ling spoke up. “Should we go in separately? Will two of us be too much?”

Sam shook his head and smiled faintly. “Nothing much phases her. I think she’ll enjoy you both.”

Then he led them both into the dimly lit room. Toby was last and for a moment he couldn’t see the bed at all, then the white head on the navy blue pillowcase turned towards them and he saw her. All the air seemed to leave the room and for a long moment he couldn’t breathe. The silver eye locked on his and before he knew it, he was on his knees beside the bed, holding her and being held fiercely.

“My little Li. How very big you’ve grown.” The soft voice was the voice of his dream mother and suddenly another time shift occurred and he remembered all that had happened after they left her at the temple.

“The earth shook and shook. The river changed course and flooded the village. Ping was swept away and we never found him. Papa was killed when the fighting broke out. There was much sickness that seemed to rise from the ground after the fifth day when the earth shook again. The mountain disappeared completely and I knew that you wouldn’t ever come back. I had a fever and then . . . I don’t remember anything after that.” Toby used his hand to brush away the new tears then gently patted the tears streaming from her eye.

“I hoped you and Ping would be safe so far from the battleground. I knew Father Chang would protect you well but the only weapon I had was the earth. A major fault led directly under the mountain range. When I used the crystal to signal the Ikiiri, I didn’t even think of the river. I knew only that the strike had to be swift to take their Queen out in the first encounter.” She ran a shaky finger down his cheek. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you, Li. In a very real sense, I was fighting for you. But still I failed.”

“Was it worth it?” Toby asked.

“It bought Earth another two thousand years.” She leaned back against the pillows with a sigh and the beginning of another coughing spell.

Sam was right there with a spoonful of something green and Toby got out of his way, turning to Mei Ling and surprising a look of awe on her face. “What?”

“That was the most incredible thing I ever heard. Do you realize that you were speaking Chinese? It was a very ancient dialect I just barely understood. She was the mother from your dream?”

“Yes. When I saw her, I remembered what happened after we left her at the monastery. Earthquakes devastated the whole area, the river changed course, everyone went nuts and we all mostly died.” Toby watched his friend absorb the baldly stated recital and thought over the wrenchingly sad emotions he had ‘remembered’. 

“What did you ask her at the end? I couldn’t catch it although I got part of her answer. Something about years.” Mei Ling wore the intense look she always had when she was deciphering things.

“We’ll have to ask her, in English, this time. This is kind of intense.” He felt a sudden need to do something strenuous.

“Sam, I believe that the two of you need time to talk. If this young lady would be willing to sit with me, perhaps you could go running. Chase away the cobwebs and exchange information.” The tired woman in the bed looked at Sam then Toby before smiling faintly. “It seems my past is catching up with me.”

“Good idea, Ruth. I’m willing if Toby is.” Sam stood and shot his brother a look that told him he’d better be willing.

“Yeah. Sounds good. It was a long drive and I could use the exercise. Let me get the bags from the car and I can change upstairs. Mei Ling, I’ll put your bag in Pete’s room. He’s not here, is he?”

“Not yet. But who knows if that will change?” Sam shrugged fatalistically.

They both changed clothes and headed out to run the back roads near the golf course. Jogging slowly, they eased tight muscles until with a nod to each other, they began to run. Toby breathed in the cool autumn air and felt his lungs expand with the familiar scents of home. No matter how often and how far he traveled, this would always be home to him.

“We need to talk, Tob’. Something is going on here I don’t understand. It’s like we’ve become participants in some strange play. And I don’t know what our lines are or where the next act is.” Sam turned his head to look at him. “And what the hell was with the Chinese?”

So, Toby told him what the conversation consisted of and the feelings he’d felt at holding his . . . ‘mother’ for the first time in 2000 years. He could see Sam absorbing the facts and feelings, slotting them into the jigsaw puzzle that was his patient. In return, he spoke of how he’d met Ruth and some of the strange things she’d said.

They ran in silence for almost two miles. Toby let his thoughts go free, concentrating only on his body and the rhythms of movement. His muscles began the burn that presaged that place where he always did his best thinking. Pieces of the puzzle began to come together for him and he slowed into a jog.

“She said it gained two thousand years. That means it’s time for this . . . threat to return.”

“The word ‘Ikiiri’ doesn’t mean anything to me. She said her past was catching up to her. But she doesn’t look Chinese to me so she can’t be two thousand years old.” Sam slowed too and grinned at Toby.

“Mei Ling said my dreams were past life memories. Could the explosion you spoke of have sent her deep enough to awaken past memories of her own?” Toby was still trying to make logic out of illogic.

“I’m afraid I’ve never heard of anything like this happening. Then again, if it ever has happened, the recipient is probably in a mental institution. That’s probably why she wouldn’t go to the hospital. I expect she’s on some state’s ‘missing believed to be nuts’ list.”

“So why are we taking her seriously?” Toby wasn’t really asking a question.

“Why are you having dreams about ancient China and being a little boy named Li? And how did she know your dream name?” Sam sighed and slowed to a walk.

Toby walked beside him, stretching his arms out wide then dropping one around his brother’s shoulders. “I expect we need to talk to her some more. You know it’s the Chinese who have that great saying. ‘May you live in interesting times.’”

“That’s a curse, Tob’. And you’re probably right.” Sam had the far away look again.

“Is there something else we need to talk about, big brother?” He teased him gently and was surprised to see him frown heavily. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”

Sam tried a smile. “Just something I’m working on in my head, little brother. Nobody can help me try and figure this one out. I’m . . . readjusting some of my thinking.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with that silly Eleanor does it? I mean you’re not really serious about her? She’s like a total wench.” Toby took his courage in hand and said what he’d wanted to say for several months.

This time the smile was genuine. “Don’t worry, you won’t have to call her sister. My standards are higher than that. She was just handy to take out while I worked through something else. I’ve broken three dates in as many days so I expect I’m off her list by now.”

“Never happen, Sam. You’re a single, white doctor for God’s sake. You’ve made all the Debs pant for years now, man.”

“Don’t be silly, Tob’. I’m just handy for going out and not embarrassing them in front of their friends.” Sam shook his head with a grin.

“Oh man, you have no idea what you do to them, do you?” Toby flicked his ear with his forefinger. “They’re all practically salivating over snatching one of the Hamilton boys and you think they’re just putting up with you? Talk to Mom about this, Sam. She’ll set you straight.”

Sam winced and started walking more quickly towards home. “I think you’re wrong but then I’ve been wrong a time or two. Just lately, in fact. What are we going to tell Mom and Dad about Ruth? How is Mom going to feel about you having another mother in house?”

Toby stopped dead by the side of the road. “Oh wow! I never even thought about that. I mean, I feel something for Ruth but it’s nothing like what I feel for Mom.”

“Then tell her so and give her one of your great hugs. That will go a long way to reconciling her to this odd little menage a trois we seem to have landed in.” Sam nudged him in the ribs and they started walking again.

“I wonder what she and Mei Ling talked about while we were gone?” Toby cast a speaking glance at his brother.

“Three blocks to go and we can find out.” Sam grinned and they started walking faster. “Interesting times, huh?”

“Gotta love it, Sam. Beats being bored any day.” Toby grinned back.

“Let’s hope we both think that when the next ‘scene’ of this play begins.”

*********************


	5. Recovery

Sam finished the last report on the idiot who’d forgotten every safety regulation on the books and tried to work on a wing without backup or the proper gear to make sure he stayed on the wing. The tap on his door came as he was trying to once again figure out how to save the report and send it on up the chain of command.

“If you’re bleeding, I’m going to make you fill out the paperwork.” He said without looking up from his contrary computer.

The warm chuckle slid over his hearing like warm syrup and he felt his stomach clench in anticipation of who he’d see when he turned around. “I promise I’m not bleeding and I don’t even want you to take my temp.”

Sam turned his chair around and grinned at the man leaning in his doorway. “It’s a good thing since the paperwork I just filled out was on one of your men, Colonel Griffin.”

“I heard about it. He’s going to be okay?” The Marine came further in and sat down in the visitor’s chair.

“He’s going to be fine except for some muscle spasms that should calm down after a few days on the muscle relaxant I prescribed. But I suggest you have a little talk with him. The only person who would scare him more is Gunnie and I heard he’s on vacation.”

White teeth flashed in a grin that was so infectious, Sam found himself relaxing. “Gunnie got back today and you’re right, he will be scaring Jensen right into tomorrow. The one thing I will not tolerate is unsafe maintenance. And I don’t care who it is.”

“That’s one of the many things I told the young man while we were taking x-rays. No fractures and why there aren’t is a matter for his guardian angel.” Sam shook his head.

“I didn’t want to take up your time, Captain Hamilton. I just wanted to touch base with you and make sure you survived Belgrade since I haven’t talked with you since.”

Sam felt himself go beet red while he flashed back on the results of one too many drinks at the going away party his unit had before shipping out. “I survived . . . barely. I haven’t had a drink since.”

“I have to say, I’ve never met a more cheerful drunk in my room.” Colonel Griffin teased him gently.

“I’m never going to live that down, am I?” Sam shook his head. “I was so turned around, I’m just lucky I didn’t try to bed down in the General’s room. I knew the table by the bed was in the wrong place but I thought the maids had changed it around. I wasn’t thinking too clearly at that point.”

“No problem, Sam. I always enjoy finding surprises in my bed. But I’d better let you get back to your report.” He stood up and stretched slightly.

“Sure. If I can just figure out how to save and send this sucker, you should have it on your computer by the time you get back to your office.” Sam kept his attention on the screen beside him.

“Hah! If the government had tried, I don’t think they could have created a harder program. Let me show you what my secretary showed me.” The Colonel came back around the desk and stood over Sam’s shoulder. “Just push alt F then choose option three and make sure the little sent box pops up.” His fingers moved slowly on the keys so Sam could watch. “And . . . there it is, gone to my mailbox. Got it?”

Sam could feel the warmth of the hand on his shoulder and he managed a nod. “Thanks, I appreciate it. I’ll just make a note and post it on my desk until I have it memorized. Sometimes I wish they could just use off the shelf programs.”

With a squeeze, the Colonel dropped his hand and headed for the door. “That’s tantamount to heresy, Sam. Nothing but the best for the military.” He winked over his shoulder. “Never mind it’s close to unusable. I like to think of it as a test of my ingenuity every time I turn the damned thing on. See you later.”

Sam lifted his hand and watched his visitor out the door. He found his hand trembling and he swiftly dropped it into his lap while he watched the empty doorway. His thoughts surged back and forth like the choppy waves he’d seen this morning on his drive to the base. What a way to end drill weekend! I can’t believe I sat like a lump while he was here. Damn. Damn. Damn. He’s going to think I’m an idiot.

The text danced on the screen while he thought back to his last night in Belgrade, a night that would forever remain one of his worst and best memories.

***** 

_“You going to be okay, Sam?” Paul propped him up and opened the door for him._

_“Sure, I’m just . . . fine. Fine. Fine.” Sam really liked the word fine. It was such a . . . fine word. That seemed awfully funny so he started chuckling while he tried to find the doorknob._

_“Door’s open, Sam. Can you make it back to your room or should I come with you?”_

_Paul was smiling so he must like the word ‘fine’ too, Sam thought. “Fine. I can make it just fine. Straight back and to the left.”_

_“Okay, buddy, take some aspirin and get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning down at the air field.” Paul gave him a gentle push in the right direction and Sam tried walking but the floor kept moving under him._

_Paul shut the door behind him with a final good night and Sam used the wall to keep his balance while he meandered down the long hall. He knew he had to keep quiet so he tried to tiptoe but the damned floor kept heaving up and down. Belatedly he remembered he needed to count the doors to make sure he got to his room. The hall light was dim and far away, his vision narrowing then expanding with no rhyme or reason._

_“One . . . two . . . three . . . four. Whew! Home sweet home.” Opening the door, he couldn’t find the light switch so he gave up and just stumbled to the bed. Pausing only to kick off his shoes and take off his tie, he crawled thankfully into the worn sheets on the rickety cot and pulled the pillow over his head._

_It was the unfamiliar scent that first told him that something wasn’t right. The faint odor teased his nostrils while his befogged brain tried to catalog the scent. Pulling the pillow off his face and onto his chest, he thought hard. Something clean and sharp but not astringent like he smelled after making rounds. Old Spice? Why does my pillow smell of aftershave?_

_Before he could come to grips with the problem, the door opened again and the light bloomed on. “Ouch! Turn it off, it hurts.”_

_“Excuse me?” The voice was one used to command, Sam could tell that but he couldn’t quite place it._

_“Emergency, huh? Sure, I can take care of that if you’ll just make the room stop spinning.” He shut his eyes tight and held onto his head but the room just kept moving. He could hear the plaintive note in his voice but was unprepared for the chuckle that came by the bed._

_Opening his eyes was a mistake because he was obviously hallucinating. A half-naked man with just a towel around his waist and a trickle of water still creeping across the hairless chest down to the loosely knotted towel stood by the bed._

_“Well . . . Captain Hamilton.” The man read the name tag on Sam’s uniform. “I’d ask what you’re doing in my bed but it doesn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to figure out you missed your door and found mine instead. Just how drunk are you?”_

_“I’m fine, thank you. Just fine-e-e-e.” Sam had the sudden urge to just lean over and lick that little water droplet about to soak into the white towel._

_That warm chuckle was back again and it made Sam feel safe. “Oh, I can see that, Captain. Fine is indeed the word.”_

_“It’s Sam. Not captain. Only a captain when I’m working. We were saying goodbye.” He informed his new friend earnestly._

_“Well, Sam, I can see you had a very good time, but how about I get you up and into your own room so you can sleep it off?” A strong hand gently touched his shoulder and Sam felt the heat of it all through his body._

_“No, it was a fine-e-e time and I thought I was in bed.” That plaintive note was back_

_“Well, in a manner of speaking you are in bed. My bed. And I need it back, I’m afraid.”_

_“Your bed?”_

_“My bed.”_

_“Why’d they put your bed into my room?” Sam just couldn’t understand why the maids would have done that._

_The chuckle cut right through his belabored thought processes and Sam felt good about making him laugh. “You are so wasted, my friend. And you’re going to hate yourself in the morning.”_

_“Paul said to take some aspirin but I don’t know why.” Nodding made his head spin so he took it in both hands to steady it._

_“Well, Paul was right about that. Hold onto your head and I’ll get some for you.” The warm touch went away and the sound of bare feet crossing the ramshackle floorboards resounded in the room._

_“Okay, here’s two aspirin and a glass of water.” The warm hand was back and Sam managed to hold onto the small white tablets until he could get them onto his tongue while the man held the glass steady for him to drink._

_“Thank you. Can I go to sleep now?” Sam felt suddenly very sleepy and the urge to curl up and let go of the spinning world was strong._

_“As soon as I get you into your own room. You’ll sleep better in room number, what was that number again?” The kind voice asked him a question._

_“Number four. One, two, three, four.” Sam explained how to find it._

_The man pulled the covers back and helped Sam stand up. The room did a one eighty on him and he clasped the broad shoulder in front of him with a little whimper. “I know, Sam. Just wait a minute and the room will stop spinning. Okay?”_

_“Better. Can I hang on to you?”_

_“Of course you can, Sam. Now, how about we try for the door?” The man was just a little shorter than he was so he could comfortably put an arm around his shoulders._

_“Okay. You’re really warm, did you know that? Hot blooded, Mom would say.” Sam wove to the door, which seemed to being moving from side to side. “Hey look, the door isn’t there. Oops, now it is.”_

_The little chuckle was back and Sam felt good again so he joined in. They moved through the shifting door and down the hall two doors. This time Sam could see the number four. In a whisper that could probably be heard on the second floor, he let his new friend know they’d found his room._

_“See, number four.”_

_“I can see that, Sam. Now, let’s get you into your very own bed so you can get some sleep. You’ve even got some company tonight.” The man picked up the teddy bear on his pillow and handed it to Sam before pulling the covers back._

_“Not mine. Hers.” Sam swayed and was hastily steadied. “Dad says that you can’t save everybody. All you can do is try.”_

_“Your father is a very wise man, Sam. Sit down and let me get this uniform off. Whose teddy bear is it then if it’s not yours?” Gentle hands lowered him to the cot and started unbuttoning his uniform shirt._

_“I packed all our medical supplies with stuffed teddy bears. Worked better then those icky plastic peanuts and then we had something to give the kids when we work in the refuge camps. Her name was Sari and she was six. Pneumonia and malnutrition. If we could have just gotten there a little earlier, we could have saved her.” Sam saw the little girl with the shy smile in his mind’s eye. “When I gave her the bear, she held him so tightly she almost squeezed the stuffing out of him.”_

_The sure hands stripped his shirt off and began unbuckling his belt. “What happened to Sari, Sam?”_

_“She didn’t respond to the antibiotics. Had trouble breathing and when the fever started, she had no strength left to fight it. She just . . . faded away. They told me she died this morning and gave me back the bear.” Sam looked up into a warm green gaze. “I hate it when I lose someone. I shouldn’t care but it hurts.”_

_“Don’t stop caring, Sam. Hold on to that bear and remember her smile when she got him. You gave her a very precious gift and now she’s given you one. Lay back, Sam.” The warm hands slid his uniform pants off, leaving him in his t-shirt, boxers and socks._

_Sam shivered and tried to keep back the tears he didn’t want to shed in front of his new friend. “Thank you. I’ll be okay.”_

_He pulled up the blankets and tucked him in with the bear by his pillow. “Yes, you will, Sam. Now, close your eyes and go to sleep. Tomorrow will come all too soon.”_

_Sam sniffed and shut his eyes over the tears. “Good night.”_

_The warm hand stroked back the hair from his forehead with a soothing touch. “Sleep tight and wake refreshed.” The mesmerizing brush of that hand set up a rhythm that lulled Sam right into slumber._

***** 

Sam brought himself back to today with a start. He’d felt about an inch tall the next morning when he’d awakened with a hangover from hell and a complete set of memories of his stupid behavior the night before. He’d quickly discovered the name of the man, who’d put him to bed, returned his shoes and tie, hung up his uniform, let more aspirin and a glass of water on the bedside table, then left a wake-up call with the unit secretary. 

He’d even thought his note of apology and thanks would be the end of it since Colonel Griffin’s Marine unit was stationed in Belgrade for the foreseeable future. But two weeks ago, he’d attended a morning briefing to find the man he remembered so vividly being installed as the new unit commander of their detachment of Marines. When he was introduced after the briefing, the only indication the Colonel had given they’d met before was a smile with a quick wink that left Sam wondering if he’d seen it or not.

But today told him he did remember Sam and it was time to sit down and take a good long look at the revelation that that evening had brought to him. Closing his eyes, he could still feel the warm hand on his shoulder and hear the chuckle slide like hot honey over his senses. He could still smell the whiff of Old Spice and see the twinkle in the green eyes that reminded him of the green of spring leaves; still feel the satin skin under his fingers and the strong shoulder under his hand. And the memory had left him with a hard-on that surprised him.

That night and his morning reaction had left him shaken. He’d always been a private man who’d never completely let anyone but his family see all of him. His dating habits had been normal all through school, residency and practice. Girls were wonderful people who often left him feeling bewildered. He had a few female friends and his best friend’s wife had welcomed him to stay friends with her husband. Not a common reaction, he’d found out the hard way.

Marriage tended to cut former ties to the friends dating from before the marriage, giving way to the new friends that came after. But Sheila and Paul had kept him among their friends and he’d even thought about talking to Paul about these strange feelings he’d been having. He’d never questioned his sexuality before but then, he’d never craved a man’s touch before either. But lately, his dreams had been erotic to the point of climax and they all featured Colonel Seth B. Griffin.

Sighing, he saved the file he’d forgotten he was working on and logged off the system. It was almost time to go off duty and he had another patient at home. Smiling, he thought of Ruth’s progress over the last two days. Her lung sounded dry at last and there was even some improvement in the left lung. She still coughed but it didn’t scare him anymore. 

But thinking of Ruth reminded him of his little brother and the strange connection he shared with the sick stranger. He felt like there was too much hitting him all at once. Shaking his head, he headed out to the front office to see if there was anything that he could do to help shut down the weekend clinic.

Drill weekend was finally over and he got into his car with a sense of relief. Another month to try and come to grips with his bizarre fantasies about a man who could probably chew him up and spit him out. And would if he even had a hint what Sam was thinking.

_I always enjoy finding surprises in my bed._ Sam could hear that deep voice in his head. Wistfully, he wondered what would happen if he ever did anything about his fantasies. Then shaking his head to clear away the ‘what-ifs’, he drove off the base towards home. Time to get back and check on his patient. Maybe it was time to give Sari’s teddy bear to her. There was something rather magical about the stuffed brown toy that sat on his dresser and Ruth would appreciate it.

******************* 

He came in through the kitchen and headed straight for Ruth. His mom was reading part of the newspaper aloud to the woman propped in the bed. “How’s my favorite patient?”

“Wow, Sam, you should have been wearing that uniform when we met. I would have never questioned you. I’d have been too busy panting.” Ruth wolf whistled then laughed at his blush. “Julie, you can see it, can’t you?”

“Well, he is my son but I’ve seen the effect he has on women of all ages whenever he shows up in uniform. I made sure he wore it at our last hospital fund-raiser. I think we pulled in an extra $10,000 just because of Sam.” Julie winked at Ruth and joined in her laugh. “But now he’s home, I’m going to go see to dinner while he checks you out, Ruth.”

“Should I change clothes first or just discount the increased heart rate?” Sam teased right back, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking her wrist between his fingers.

“Don’t change on my account. I’ll just lay back and fantasize.” Ruth smiled then laid her weak left hand on his arm. “What’s wrong, Sam? Did I say something wrong?”

Sam wondered how she knew she’d shocked him. Trying for a smile, he shook his head. “You just reminded me of something I’m trying to work through.”

“An inappropriate fantasy, Sam?” Her husky voice sighed just a bit. “Been there, done that. But not lately.”

“Your temp is back to normal . . . finally.” He put the thermometer away and listened to her chest for several moments. Removing his stethoscope, he smiled down at her. “You’re well on your way to healthy.”

“Sam, there is no way I can repay you or your family for your care and concern but if you need someone to talk to, I’ll listen.” Ruth’s eye gazed into his steadily and her hand gripped his.

“I . . .” Sam stopped and gathered his thoughts. “After dinner, I’ll take you up on your offer.”

“Good. Troubles shared are troubles halved as my grandmother used to say.” Ruth let his hand go and rested back against the pillows. “I think I’ll take a little nap until then.”

He watched her breathing slow and could tell that within a minute, she was fast asleep. Shaking his head, he envied her the ability to go to sleep on command. Leaving the room, he kissed his mom at the stove. “Thanks for taking care of her today. She’s getting better.”

“I can tell, sweetheart. What are we going to do when she wants to leave? I’m worried that she’ll go right back to the streets.” Julie stirred something dark and rich looking in a saucepan.

“Gravy, huh.” Sam risked a quick taste. “Delish, Mom. If she wants to go back to the streets, we have no right to stop her. But I think she’s here in Boston for a reason. If we can help her accomplish what she came to do then we will. Hopefully, whatever is driving her will come to pass soon. She’s mentioned the Winter Solstice several times and that’s just three weeks away.”

“The roast will be done in forty five minutes. Your father is bringing some golf crony home with him so why don’t you go up and shower and change. I made rice and steamed broccoli for Ruth. It seems she’s a vegetarian. But you can either eat with us or with her, whichever you prefer. If the old crony is anything like George Witherspoon, you might want to escape and eat with Ruth.” Julie rolled her eyes and Sam laughed while heading up stairs to wash away the day.

He loved his father but some of the golfing buddies he’d brought home had been bores to say the very least. Golf was not the Holy Grail of most of the family, just his father and to some extent, Grandmother Penelope. Standing under the hot water, he soaped away some of the tension from his earlier encounter and the uncertainties he faced.

Rummaging in his closet, he chose a red sweater and a pair of jeans that were just about to make the transition from public to private wear. Several places were wearing nicely thin and he frowned when he thought about having to go shopping for new ones. Brushing his hair back, he looked around his comfortable room and decided for the hundredth time that he really needed to move out to his own place and let his mom have this room for her sewing.

But every time he made up his mind to move he got called up to ship out to another trouble spot. The real problem was it was just too comfortable staying here and he liked being with his family. Sighing, he looked at himself in the mirror. After all, it wasn’t like he wanted to bring anybody home with him. A pair of green eyes flashed across his mind and he groaned silently. Maybe telling Ruth about his sudden change of fantasy gender would help him to put it in perspective.

According to the Psych books, curiosity was normal. He might even be bi-sexual; the last class he’d attended back at Tufts had mentioned that among the statistics. As long as he stayed celibate, he’d never have to find out. That was looking more and more like his best option some days. He tried a rueful grin at himself in the mirror. It fell flat. Oh well, dinner with family and friends was a good start.

I will accept this and move on with my life.

Descending the stairs, he heard voices coming from the living room and his mom and dad laughing in unison. Turning the corner, he walked right into their dinner guest.

“Sam, I’d like you to meet a new member of the country club.”

The rest of the introduction went unheard while he gazed into Seth Griffin’s laughing green eyes. Then again, maybe I won’t.


	6. Discoveries

Toby ate his bagel slathered with his Mom’s homemade strawberry jam while he read the sports page. At the edge of his hearing, he could just make out Mei Ling’s voice talking to Ruth. They were going into Boston after breakfast to do some research for her and to answer some of the many questions Toby had about the whole past life thing.

Sam came in and headed for the coffeepot with a low voiced ‘good morning’. Toby watched his older brother out of the corner of his eye. Sam was behaving so oddly, he knew there was something wrong. Dinner the night before had been kind of surreal. The guest, Seth Griffin, was an okay guy, not like some of his Dad’s other buddies. He had a sense of humor and really knew how to tell a story. They’d all been in stitches when he told about his first posting as a raw Lieutenant on an American base in England.

Toby frowned, Sam had laughed just as hard as any of them but he’d been quiet the rest of the time, only speaking when spoken to. There was something going on and he wanted to help but he wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. But then maybe it was something about one of his patients. Sam really took his patient care to heart and Toby had overheard him talking to Dad right after he’d come home about one of his patients in Belgrade who had died.

No way do I ever want that kind of responsibility. No life and death for me, just a nice simple career digging up the past, Toby thought wryly. 

“Hey, Sam, could you put in a couple more bagels. Mei Ling should be out any minute now. She’s just getting some last minute directions from Ruth.”

“What?” He looked at Toby and shook his head. “Oh sure . . . bagels.”

“You okay, Sam?”

“Sure, just got some things on my mind.” Sam sat down and started playing with his cereal. “What did you think about Colonel Griffin?”

Toby finished his juice. “I thought he was pretty cool . . . for an old guy.”

Sam snorted his coffee and had to cough into his napkin while Toby pounded on his back. Finally he waved him away and took a deep breath. “He’s only 45, Tob’, that’s not so old.”

“For you, maybe but then I kind of think of you as an old guy too, Sam.”

Sam laughed out loud. “Thank you, so much for making me feel decrepit, you little pip-squeak.”

“Hey, you asked! Old man.” Toby made sure his brother heard him so he was prepared to duck the hand that snapped over and thumped him.

“Aside from his age, what did you think of him?”

“I bet he never runs out of stories. Did you know him before he came here?” Toby asked as Mei Ling entered from the sickroom.

“We met once.” Sam’s answer was short and to the point then he busied himself with taking the toasted bagels out of the toaster oven. “Here you go, Mei Ling. How is Ruth this morning?”

“She wants to get up really badly. You may have to sit on her today to keep her inside.” Mei Ling accepted the plate with her bagel and reached for the jar of preserves while Sam excused himself to go and check on his patient. “I wish your mom made up gallons of this jam and sent some back to the dorms with you every year.”

“Don’t I know it. Mostly she just gives it away to anybody who asks.” Toby shrugged and snagged the last bagel.

“I’m asking, I’m asking.” Mei Ling presented a begging face to Julie who was just coming in from outdoors.

“Ah, the strawberry jam strikes again.” Julie dropped a kiss on Mei Ling’s sleek black hair and moved on to Toby to give him his morning hello. “I believe I might just have a jar you can take back with you to campus. What are the two of you doing today?”

“Research at the Peabody for Ruth. Professor Heinrich told me he’d give me a tour after he spoke to our Archaeology 101 class last year.” Toby swallowed the last of the bagel. “So I thought I’d take him up on his offer.”

“Oh good, you’re going into Boston. Stop at Finelli’s and pick up a couple dozen of their whole wheat bagels for us, please.” Julie looked from the half-finished bowl of cereal to Grandma Penelope’s room. “Did Sam eat anything?”

Toby shrugged and shook his head. “Is he okay, Mom?”

“I don’t know, Toby. He’s been going over and over something but he won’t say what. I’m beginning to wonder if he met someone in Kosovo who he’s now wishing he had brought home.” Julie sighed and poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Well, you’ll get it out of him eventually, Mom. You always do.” Toby got up and dropped a kiss on her cheek before rinsing his dishes and fitting them into the dishwasher. Mei Ling joined him, sweeping the table free of crumbs and putting her own dishes in.

“You ready?” Toby asked her.

“I just need to get my back pack.” Mei Ling scooted upstairs and came back down with it slung over her shoulder. “Now, I’m ready.”

“Two dozen whole wheat bagels, Mom, anything else?” Toby shrugged on his padded vest and grabbed his car keys from the pegboard by the back door.

“Some spinach noodles would be nice if they made them today.” 

“Got it. We’ll see you about four, Mom.”

“Take care, sweeties. Watch out for those nasty Boston drivers.” Julie waved goodbye.

************* 

Toby and Mei Ling strode up the concrete steps to the double doors of the old fashioned museum on the Harvard Campus. There were never a lot of visitors but Toby had always had a soft spot for the Peabody. It might not be up to date or completely climate controlled but their African halls had always sent a shiver up his spine whenever his mom had brought him here to burn off some energy.

The woman at the front desk looked up with a pleasant smile when they stopped to ask directions. “May I help you?”

“Hi, we’d like to see Dr. Heinrich.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, the Doctor isn’t here. He’s on sabbatical to Hunan until next May.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.” Toby looked at Mei Ling with a grimace.

“Toby? Toby Hamilton?” A voice from the back hall caught their attention.

Toby looked around and broke into a smile. “Matt! Hey man, it’s good to see you. Are you studying here?”

“Got an internship working for Professor Wenton after the dig last summer. Why are you here and who is this lovely lady?” The short, dark haired graduate student smiled hopefully at Mei Ling.

“Mei Ling Chang, meet Matt Somers. Matt, Mei Ling is a friend from U of M. I was hoping to give her a tour of the Peabody, including some behind the scene stuff. But it looks like Dr. Heinrich isn’t here.” Toby frowned and gave Matt his cue.

“Well, if you don’t mind me being your guide, you can still have your tour.” Matt grinned at the information clerk. “How about a couple of visitor badges?”

After signing in and clipping the badges to their collars, Matt took them back to his office. “Where do you want to start? What’s your field, Mei Ling?”

Toby watched with a straight face while she flirted with his friend from the summer dig. Matt was an unabashed extrovert who’d kept the whole camp on their toes with his practical jokes and dirty limericks. He was a master of the art of telling a story which drew you in then dumped you on your ass with its punch line. He’d learned a lot from the guy over the six weeks they’d both been on the dig.

“Ancient China is not one of our best collections. We’ve got artifacts in the sub-sub-basement right below us. Some of those crates remind me of that last scene in the adventure film, when the old guy is wheeling in the crate to join all the other stuff that’s too dangerous to know.” Matt snorted. “Of course with us, its money more than anything else. We just don’t have the funds to sort, catalog and preserve all the artifacts we have.”

“But that sounds so exciting!” Mei Ling beamed up at him. “Could we at least take a peek down there? We wouldn’t harm them, would we?”

Toby gave an inner cheer at her wide-eyed glance from under her long lashes to the smitten grad student. Matt didn’t even hesitate. “Well, of course, we can go on down. It’s been months since I was there, maybe we’ll find a real treasure.”

They went through two doors, a back corridor painted in a really sick looking green and down a flight of stairs that got progressively more dusty the further down they went. Toby lagged behind while Matt kept on talking to Mei Ling. There were two doors at the foot of the staircase but one of them was a freight elevator. He didn’t see any locks, obviously, the curators didn’t think there was anything valuable in this vaults.

A light bulb hung in the middle of the twenty by twenty-foot ceiling, revealing crates and crates stacked almost to the ceiling with narrow walkways between the stacks. Moving further into the room, they looked at the chalked numbers and names on the sides of all the crates.

“Oh look, Toby. Here’s some crates from the Turner expedition. Wasn’t that the one that Ruth told us about? 1902 or somewhere there?” Mei Ling waggled her eyebrows at him.

“Gosh, you may be right. Something about an earthquake that year bringing a village to light that had been buried for centuries.” Toby put a questioning frown on his face.

“Oh yes, the ill fated expedition to the Qin Mountains.” Matt affectionately patted the crate Mei Ling was pointing to. “Poor Professor Turner convinced a rich businessman to outfit the trip and excavating party. He was so sure that what had been revealed by the earth’s movement would be the fabled capitol city of Emperor Shi Huangdi that he convinced the man to put up $25,000 to equip the party. That was real money in those days and Professor Turner took ten students and as many native workers with him, settling in and beginning the work in June 1903.”

“Wow, how many crates are here from that dig?” Mei Ling was craning her head to and fro, checking the sides of the boxes nearest her.

“You know, I don’t know. We’d have to check the index book for that year but there’s another one here.” Matt was getting into the spirit of the search.

“I found one.” Toby was taller than the others and spotted the Turner name on a box in the corner on top of three others. “What happened to the expedition?”

“They’d been busy digging for almost a month and they’d sent back the crates we’re looking at right now when their backer had a heart attack and died at the opera up in New York. Rumor has it that he was . . . Um, making love to the lead soprano at the time.” Matt grinned sheepishly at Mei Ling who tried to look shocked while Toby hid a smile at the little quiver in her lips. “Two mornings after he got the news, all the native workers disappeared after warning the Professor there was danger of another earthquake. His diary is quite explicit that as a civilized man of science he paid no heed to the superstitions of such primitives. Imagine running away simply because the geese had become nervous.”

“Oops.” Mei Ling shook her head. “That’s one of the first indicators of earth tremors. I’m guessing that the workers were right.”

“Right on the button.” Matt beamed at her. “When there’d been no word from the expedition in a month, one of the local missionaries stopped by and found the half uncovered village gone. Completely gone with nothing to even show where it had been. The Professor and all his workers were gone as well. Only a couple of tents with their belongings in them were left. He packed everything up and sent it back by slow boat to the museum.”

“Wow, that’s so sad.” Mei Ling was still counting crates. “I think there’s five crates in all. What’s inside of them?”

“You know, I’m not sure. I expect they put them down here to wait for Professor Turner’s return but when he didn’t, I’ll bet they just forgot about them. Be interesting to find out but as I mentioned before, there’s just no money to pay for the work. Everybody is working on something all ready and we lean more towards Africa then Asia.”

“Toby, come here.” Mei Ling’s voice came from a few feet away and Toby edged around another stack to find her kneeling by a dusty wooden box, her fingers tracing a name beneath Turner’s.

“What is it? Oh.” Toby could truthfully say that he wasn’t surprised. Much. “Griffin. Is that the name of the financier who bank rolled the dig?”

“I think so. We can check the logbook for 1903 if you like. Why do I get the feeling that this is what you really came in to look for?” Matt divided his shrewd glance between them.

“Because you’re a very wise man?” Mei Ling twinkled up at him and he laughed.

“Ruth has been doing some research on this time period and she asked us if we’d check here to find out if anything from the Turner expedition was still available. And last night we met someone named Griffin.”

“Wow!” Matt hummed a few bars of the Twilight Zone’s theme song. “Eerie isn’t it? Too bad we can’t pull these out and let her have a go at them. It would be nice to have a list of what is in here. Maybe you could put the bite on today’s Griffin. There’s probably no relationship between them but wouldn’t it be weird if there was?”

“The truth sometimes is stranger than fiction.” Mei Ling joked with him and let him help her up.

Toby was busy thinking all through the rest of the tour. When they left Matt regretfully declining to have lunch with them because he had a meeting, they promised to come back soon. They walked briskly across Massachusetts Avenue and down Church Street to their favorite Boston restaurant, the Border Café. Waiting until they’d ordered and demolished the first basket of chips, Toby brought up what he’d been thinking so hard about.

“There are too many coincidences, Mei. First, I have all the dreams about a past life; then Sam rescues Ruth who turns out to be my mother from that life; then Dad brings home a man who may be related to the guy who bankrolled the dig of the village where we may have lived in the past life.”

“As the Earth Turns,” Mei Ling solemnly intoned which earned her a swat on the shoulder. “All joking aside, I have to say that I don’t see them as coincidences.”

“Then what are they?” Toby glared at her.

“I know you don’t know much about reincarnation but I’ve always found the idea fascinating so I did some reading last year. The first time I ever heard the word, I was about nine, I think. One of my aunts mentioned it as an explanation for something that happened to one of my cousins. When I asked her what the word meant, she explained it very simply to me as the need for a person to keep being born until they got it right.” Mei Ling paused while the waiter put down their platters of steaming hot food.

“Enjoy!” He nodded to Toby and smiled at Mei Ling.

“And that made sense to you?” Toby asked before cutting into the first burrito.

“Yeah, it did. You know there are some things that you learn and you just say to yourself, ‘well of course that’s it’.”

“Kind of an ‘a ha’ experience?”

“Exactly. Oh, these refried beans are good.” Mei Ling closed her eyes in ecstasy then went on. “Well, that was reincarnation for me. Something I didn’t just believe in but knew to be true. Most of my reading was out there on the edge of science. I don’t know why they’re so afraid of it but there aren’t many really scientific studies. But one of the concepts that keeps reoccurring again and again is the proximity effect.”

“What’s that? Do you need more iced tea?” Toby flagged down the waiter and asked for more tea.

Mei Ling nodded since her mouth was full. After she swallowed and smiled at their waiter, she continued. “The proximity effect is kind of hard to explain without going into a full dissertation on karma, both the bad kind and the good kind.”

“Oh, I know about that. If you diss somebody in one life then when you come back, they have a chance to diss you?”

She stopped eating and shook her head. “You know, your mind is a scary place. But in a nutshell, I guess you could say that ‘what goes around, comes around’. When you are reborn, you tend to be reborn along with others with whom you had close ties. So when Ruth was born, sooner or later you would be too. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Sam had shared a past life with her also.”

“So, you and I may have shared a life or two as well?” Toby took up another spoon of rice only to almost spray it across the table when she answered.

“I thought I told you. I was Ping.”

She pounded him on the back while he tried to breathe the last of the rice into his lungs. Coughing, he waved the concerned waiter away and drank some iced tea to wash away the last of the fit. Through watery eyes, he gazed back at her worried face. “You were my brother?”

“Sure, sex can change from life to life. Sorry I dropped it on you like that. When you and Sam went for that run, I asked her if I’d known her, too. She touched me on the forehead, right on my third eye and it was like watching a movie behind my eyelids. I remembered it all as if I’d lived it this time around. We were speaking Chinese, and I mean ancient Chinese, when your mom came in.” Mei Ling picked up her soft-shell taco and started eating at one end.

Toby just sat there and went over the last few days in his mind. He really should have noticed how comfortable Mei Ling had been with the stranger. She wasn’t usually that open with someone until she came to know him or her. It had taken almost a semester before she’d warmed to some of the others in the dorm. But then, he’d been totally at ease with her and now with Ruth from the moment he met them.

“But we were always friends right from when we met in Archaeology 101.” He spoke his thoughts out loud.

She nodded while swallowing. “I guess I always knew that we were kin.”

He smiled and shook his head. “This is too strange. I always wanted a sister but Mom had a tough time having me so they didn’t have anymore. I’m glad we met.”

Mei Ling stretched her hand across the table to his. “Me too, brother. Now, we just have to figure out if that sexy Colonel Griffin is part of our growing ‘family’.”

Toby raised an eyebrow. “You think he’s sexy?”

“Oh, honey, that man is a walking, talking stud of enormous proportions. Your mom and I both had to fan ourselves after dinner. I wish now that Ruth had had a chance to meet him.”

“A stud? Are we talking about the same guy?” Toby couldn’t see it. But then he thought back to his breakfast conversation with Sam and he wondered if he’d missed something.

“Toby, I wasn’t going to bring it up but I don’t want you putting your big size fourteen’s in it. Sam is attracted to the Colonel but I think he’s a little confused about it.” Mei Ling’s dark brown eyes gazed steadily into his. “There was lightning and thunder every time their eyes met.”

“No way!” Toby shook his head in denial. “Sam’s not gay.”

“I didn’t say he was, Toby. I just said he was attracted. Remember that the body doesn’t matter when you’re talking about reincarnation. Love is love and perhaps they shared a bond in another life that’s bleeding over into this one. Don’t hurt Sam by shying away from him now. I think your brother is going through a growing emotional stage and this whole thing with Ruth is just compounding his search for answers.”

“He’s my brother and I love him but if you’re right then I have to do some hard thinking.” Toby finished his beans half heartedly while thinking about how distracted Sam had been the last few days. “He said they’d met once before. And he asked me what I thought about him this morning.”

“Sounds like he’s still searching his heart. Will it make that much of a difference to you if he decides to . . . expand his choices?” Mei Ling eyes were gentle on him and Toby felt her concern like a touch to his cheek.

“I don’t know. I guess I never thought about being anything but one hundred percent heterosexual. But I know he’s not happy dating any of the women around home. Mom thought he’d met someone in Kosovo and he was pining for her.”

Mei Ling shrugged and finished her iced tea. “She could be right and I’m seeing shadows where there are none. But . . . take a look at him with grown up eyes instead of the eyes of his little brother. I think you’ll see what I’m talking about.”

Toby nodded. “Let’s hit Finelli’s and go home. I don’t want to hit rush hour around here.”

They walked through the busy Square, stopping at the bakery and buying bagels and spinach noodles. The trip home through the darkening sky and gathering clouds was silent with Toby still struggling with the concept of Sam falling in love with a guy. And with Mei Ling being his brother in another life. When they got home, he just sat behind the wheel.

“Coming in?” She asked him gently.

“What happened when you got swept away in the flood?” He stared straight ahead at the garage, barely visible in the premature twilight.

“I drowned. Hit my head on a branch or a rock and tried to breathe water.” Mei Ling’s voice was soft with just a hint of regret.

Toby held out his hand and she entwined their fingers into a fast held grip. “I’m sorry that life turned out so badly. And that I wasn’t there for you at the end.”

“Not so badly, Toby. We were loved our whole lives by a mother who tried her very best to save us from some unimaginable horror. And I didn’t feel a thing, little brother. I just went to sleep.” She smiled at him. “But in the here and now, I’m glad we’re friends and not blood relation.”

Toby held on tight and realized for the first time how much he loved her. He wanted to say something but the words wouldn’t come. She seemed to know though, because she squeezed his hand.

“I know. It’s not time for this yet. Besides, we have a mystery to solve.”

“A two thousand year old mystery.” Toby let go and grabbed for the packages.

“Or maybe even older?” Mei Ling’s tone was thoughtful. “Somehow, I don’t think we’ve dug deep enough yet. Maybe tonight Ruth can clear up some details for us.”

“It’s a plan.” Toby held the back door open for her. “Then again, she may just want us to plan a break in at the Peabody.”

Her laughter was drowned by a crack of thunder overhead and the gathering storm announcing itself with a slash of lightning and heavy raindrops. Toby felt a shiver go up his spine and he closed the door behind them with relief. 

I hope that’s not an omen.

*********************


	7. Dream Two

_I watched the sun set over the sea, casting purple shadows over the depths and lighting the clouds with streams of amethyst. My side was still stiff from the wound I took a week ago and I flexed my stomach muscles under the white linen tunic to try and loosen them up but to no avail. The healers had wanted me to rest for seven days, one for each of the stitches they’d sewn into my skin to close the wound the Egyptian son of a whore had inflicted._

_“Xenos!” The call came from below and I leaned over the rough stone parapet of the watchtower to see who dared disturb this sacred time. I should have known it would be my lover, Sarpedon. He’d been in meetings all day and now he was beckoning me down from my aerie to tell me bad news. I could tell by the frown on his face and the way he rubbed his temples that the Queen was being determined._

_“Come up here, Sar, and I’ll let you watch Apollo’s journey with me.”_

_And he came, grumbling all the way about bad-tempered lovers and idiots who wouldn’t rest. But when he reached me, he took me in his arms gently and warmed my back with his body careful not to press against the stitches while we watched the last of the Sun God’s chariot dip into the warm waves._

_“Are we sailing soon?” I leaned back against Sarpedon and let my full weight rest upon him. “She would not be persuaded?”_

_“She’s been possessed by a goddess ever since the boom cracked her skull last month. Determined as only she can be. The full moon of Artemis comes in six days and she says she must worship Her from the island of Thera.” Sarpedon sighed and hugged me a little tighter. “I’m worried about her. She said she would only take two attendants with her and she forbids us to follow.”_

_“Your sister is known for her temper. What are you really worried about?” I turned and braced my hands on his blue clad shoulders._

_He shook his head, his eyes shining in the twilight. “I see . . . death when I look into her gaze. Destruction and turmoil and pain, all crowd her eyes until I am afraid to look any deeper.”_

_“My poor Sar, you feel things too deeply. Perhaps she has had a true vision and is merely obeying the will of the gods. There is nothing on Thera that could hurt her. Just shrubs and goats, maybe some grape vines.” I cupped his jaw tenderly and gently stroked the fair skin near his eyes._

_“And what if word gets out and those thrice damned Egyptians come calling again?” Sar sounded exasperated but he still nuzzled his cheek into my hand, just like our cat, Rhea when she wants some attention._

_“How many know already?” I leaned up a bit and kissed the dimple in his chin._

_He moved just enough for our lips to meet and I reveled in the best kiss of the day. But then all his kisses were the best for me and I reminded myself to tell him that just as soon as we finished. A long moment later, he released my mouth and shook his head, the half smile I was so used to crossing his lips._

_“You had honey cakes this afternoon. Have you been sneaking into the kitchens again without me?”_

_I grinned at him and leaned against the fine linen over tunic, breathing a hot breath against his throat. “I can not lie. I stole a plate of honey cakes and brought them back to our cottage. There’s some left if Rhea hasn’t found them.”_

_“Then we’d best go home so you can feed me honey cakes while we soak in the tub. And I’ll tell you what happened this afternoon. Now that you know, there are four of us in on her plans. Lady Eirene and Lady Metis both know because Roma asked them to accompany her. And now you and I.”_

_“And the gods know, Sar. Don’t leave them out of this since it seems they’re the ones who have given her the mission.” I started down the winding steps with his hands on my shoulders to help steady me. The pain in my side was a little worse than usual and I knew that Sar could feel how tense I was with each jarring step._

_“A long soak and then I’ll give you a massage to lessen the soreness.” He promised me while we crossed the white flagstones to the large gate that welcomed all who visited the Queen._

_“Yes, My Lord Sarpedon.” I gave him his full title since we were coming into the outer ring of buildings that made up the palace at Knossos. The guards all knew that we were shield brothers but it didn’t hurt to show Sar my respect in front of them. The gods only knew how much I worshiped the ground he walked upon._

_His gaze was hot in the torch light, promising me more than just a massage when he had me alone. A party of merchants bowed to him in the anteroom of the Queen’s throne room. He stopped for a moment to chat while I kept going. Heading down a side hall that would lead me to the gardens, I almost walked into the Queen when I turned the corner._

_“Your Highness, forgive me. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” I went down on one knee and bowed my head._

_Her hand was warm on my head. “You’re forgiven, Xenos. How is your side? I seem to remember the healers telling you to rest.”_

_I rose to my feet with a brief biting of my lip. “The healers are a bunch of old fools who wouldn’t know a festering sore from a parchment cut. Any more rest and I would have gone insane.”_

_Her dark eyes laughed at me and she shook her head. “Come walk with me, Xenos. Has my brother spoken to you?”_

_I fell in beside her with Lady Eirene a few paces behind us while we walked slowly down the white gravel paths between the rows of herbs that scented the twilight air with their perfume. “Yes, Your Highness, he has. Are you sure of your vision? Your fever was high and it was almost three days before you came back to us.”_

_And that’s when I saw the pain Sar had spoken of, filling her eyes with terror and bitter loss. “The vision is true, Xenos. The gods have shown me another island and a priestess who saved her world from a terrible fate. But the bittersweet victory came at the price of her people and her island. I will not allow that to happen to here and now. Lady Eirene knows the cost of accompanying me and she still wants to come.”_

_The old woman smiled and shook her head, coming to Queen Roma’s side and taking the small white hand into her gnarled fingers. “I’ve tended and loved you since you were born, My Lady. Only death will part us.”_

_“And what if it’s pirates, Roma? What can three women do against an attack like the one that left Xenos wounded?” Sar’s voice came from over my shoulder._

_She smiled at him and accepted his kiss on her cheek. “Dearest Sar, pirates are the least of my worries.” Her eyes went unfocused for a moment and her voice took on the deep tone I’d only heard once before in the Temple. “And when They come, They will come with fire and lightning. Death comes with Them for our Mother, the earth. But She will rise up and protect Her own.”_

_“Oh, my beloved sister, why does it have to be you?” Sar’s voice almost cracked with emotion._

_Queen Roma sighed and her eyes lost the fey faraway look. She was herself again and no longer spoke with the voice of the Goddess. “Because I was born, Sar. From the moment Mother brought me forth, this day has been coming. You always said I was stubborn, little brother, and it appears the gods agree with you. Why they couldn’t just send a dream letting me know what I needed to do, I don’t know. Instead, they cracked me open like a ripe grape and showed me a vision from the depths of Tartarus.”_

_“Let me come with you, Roma. Please.” Sar went to one knee before her and took her hands in his, casting up a beseeching look that would have melted me on the spot._

_“No, Sar, not this time. I need you here. Watching over our people and protecting them from the chaos that is coming. You’re the only one I can trust, little brother. You and Xenos love Crete and all those who live here. You must be strong and believe me when I tell you that right now, I am the only one who can fulfill this vision.” Her eyes glittered with tears and she raised him up so she could hug him close._

_“I don’t understand but I trust you, Roma. If you say you must then all I can do is pray that you’re wrong and this vision will pass us by.” Sar cleared his throat and kissed her cheek._

_“That would be wonderful, Sar, but I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you. Just be here for me. I will be stronger for knowing that you are watching my back.” Queen Roma stepped back and accepted the cloak Lady Eirene had waiting for her. “Now, off with the pair of you, I have to get ready for the state dinner tonight with the Thracian merchants. I'm excusing you so Sar can coddle you, Xenos. Accept it and that’s an order from your queen, young man.”_

_Her scolding tones made me laugh and even Sar chuckled. We both bowed and watched her move lightly down the path back to the palace with Lady Eirene, her faithful shadow. They stopped for a moment on the terrace steps and looked towards the north and the brilliant star that shown just above the horizon. Queen Roma bowed her head slightly in homage to Polaris before disappearing inside._

_Sar sighed heavily and threw his arm over my shoulders. “She’s stubborn as a mule just like Father always said.”_

_I chuckled and slid my arm around his waist while we started walking towards the cottage we called home. “Determined, Sar. Queens are never stubborn, they’re just very, very determined.”_

_He hugged me tighter and I laid my head on his broad shoulder. “I’m afraid for her. She thinks she’s not coming back and that’s why she wants me safe. I have no desire to be king. My highest ambition was General of her armies and I am content doing it to the very best of my abilities.”_

_“That’s odd, Sar, that was my ambition as well.” I got ready to run. “I wanted my very own general and look what happened.”_

_“Why you, little . . .”_

_I broke into a run for our cottage while he chased after me, being very careful not to ‘catch’ me until we were safe inside our home. Turning into his arms, I welcomed his threats of tickling me until I screamed for mercy. If I were very lucky, that wouldn’t be the only thing I screamed tonight. I cast up a quick prayer that Queen Roma would find the way to her heart’s desire as I had found mine. Then I let the man who held my heart carry me into the bathing chamber for some of the pampering he was so good at._

_*****************_


	8. Plans

Julie watched Sam and Ruth walking through the backyard while she beat the pancake batter. The kitchen window allowed the early morning sun to shine onto the granite counter top, igniting the flecks of mica into sharp points of glitter. She was getting more and more worried about Sam. He’d had some kind of dream he didn’t want to talk about. But when he’d offered to do the wash, she’d figured out it must have been a wet dream.

With three sons going through puberty, she was well acquainted with ‘nocturnal emissions’. Smiling faintly, she looked away for a moment to test the readiness of the griddle. Then her eyes went back to the window and the enigma that was her middle child. The sweet tempered, emotional boy, who’d grown up to follow in his father’s footsteps, had also become a man who was hiding something. Something he couldn’t talk about, at least to her.

And that hurt. Julie felt tears well and immediately blinked hard to stop them from falling. It seemed as if the whole house was full of secrets these days. First Sam, then Ruth and now even Toby and Mei Ling had returned from Boston yesterday practically brimming over with news that could only be shared with Ruth. A twinge tightened her jaw.

The fulcrum of these secrets was Ruth, the stranger. Julie blushed to herself and hastily set the batter aside before she beat it to death. When Toby had told her about the dreams which had brought him home, she’d been concerned but when he admitted that Ruth was the mother in his dreams, she’d gone straight to jealous. No passing Go, no collecting $200, as her sons would say.

Even his hug and the carefree way he’d told the story hadn’t stopped the bitter seeds of jealousy from sprouting in her soul. And now Sam looked like he was telling Ruth what was bothering him and it should be her he told, not some stranger. Julie bit her lip and resolutely turned away from the sight of her son with his arm around the stranger.

Setting the batter aside, she opened the fridge and got out the bacon. Hunting through the lower cabinets, she found the bacon platter for the microwave and started peeling each slice off, very carefully concentrating on her task so no other thoughts could intrude. The opening of the back door startled her and she looked back to find Sam coming in with a worried look on his face.

“Mom, can we talk for a minute?” He sounded unsure to her ears and for a moment she didn’t trust her voice, so she just nodded.

“I guess you figured out why I volunteered for laundry detail.” He blushed red and his eyes dropped to the floor. “And you probably know that I’ve been kind of distracted since Kosovo.”

“I had noticed, Sam. And I hoped you knew that you could tell me anything.” She laid the bacon aside and washed her hands in the sink.

“Yeah. I mean I know it with my head but part of me is still a little scared.” He was looking everywhere but at her.

“But you can tell Ruth?” Even she could hear the hurt in her voice.

His startled gaze returned to her. “Well, she’s a stranger, Mom. She doesn’t have to deal with the fallout.”

Julie felt a little shiver run up her spine. “That bad is it?”

“It’s . . . different, Mom, not bad or good. Well, it could be really, really good or absolutely the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.” He was struggling.

“Sweetheart, I love you. Your father loves you and both your brothers think you’re pretty special. I can’t think of any reason we’d stop any time soon.” Julie crossed to him and took him in her arms.

He hugged her back almost to the point of bruising. In a whisper, he finally told her. “I’m attracted to a . . . man.”

She went very still while she tried to wrap her mind around what he meant. Listening intently, she held him while he spoke of getting drunk, meeting Colonel Griffin, then meeting him again at the base, finding him actually here in his own home and dreaming last night that his dream lover, Sarpedon, in ancient Greece was in truth the Colonel of today.

When his voice trailed away, she gathered her wits about her and kissed his cheek. “Well, Sam, if you’re going to be attracted to men, at least you chose someone nice. Not to mention . . . what was it Mei Ling called him? Studly?”

“Mom!” Sam looked at her in shock and Julie rather enjoyed the effect.

“You can’t expect me to not notice Seth’s allure. He is as close to my age as he is to yours but in the opposite direction, Sam. Didn’t he say he was going to be 45 in a couple of weeks?” Julie thought back to dinner on Sunday.

“It wasn’t his age, I was afraid you were going to ask about.” Sam had such an interesting look on his face, Julie decided to take pity on him.

“At the risk of repeating myself, Sam, I love you and as long as you’re happy, that’s all that’s important. Although it’s still a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy in the military. And do you have any idea if Seth feels the same . . . attraction?” She asked him gently, watching his face grimace.

“No idea. It’s too much to hope he had the same dream I did last night. Ruth just told me the dream came from 2000 B.C.” His eyes went to the backyard and a look of amazement crossed his face.

Julie followed his gaze and stood still in shock. Their backyard boundary was a small creek lined with stately old oak trees which housed many different species of birds. Which all appeared to be in their yard clustered around Ruth. On her wrist, a peregrine falcon perched, its head tilted as if they were having a conversation in bird talk. Ruth laughed and stroked his feathers with a gentle hand. 

“My God! She is really something.” Sam shook his head and hugged Julie close.

“Was she the queen in your dream?” Julie couldn’t tear her eyes away from the amazing tableau of Ruth wearing an old blue sweater of Sam’s over a navy blue turtleneck and a pair of her jeans turned up at the hem, surrounded by flocks of birds in a never ending spiral.

“Yes, sister to Sar and Queen of Crete. She said it was a matriarchal culture at that time. The oldest child ruled and she was the elder by two years.” His voice was rather absentminded while he watched the amazing sight of his patient talking to the birds. “She looks like a feminine Dr. Doolittle.”

Julie groaned. “Darn it, Sam, now I’m going to have that ‘Talk to the Animals’ song running through my head for the rest of the day.”

The horrified look on his face was priceless. “So will I.”

They shared a laugh and kept on watching the birds come and go. The falcon took wing and sailed back up to the top of the tallest oak. A raven took his place, all sleek and shining in the sunlight, preening his coal black feathers and bobbing his head back and forth. After him came a bright red cardinal, then a brown thrush and the last was a common sparrow. Ruth was frowning when he flew away and Julie felt a frisson of fear.

“Looks like the last one gave her some bad news.” Sam put into words the very feeling Julie had.

“She’s been out there long enough for a woman recovering from pneumonia, no matter how bundled up she is.” Julie pulled away from her son and gave him a little push to the back door. “Go bring her in while I start the first batch of pancakes.”

“Are you okay with this, Mom?” Sam didn’t move, just looked down at her with eyes so very like her own.

“I will be, Sam. Once I understand all that’s going on. Just remember I love you and don’t wait so long to tell me what’s happening.” She scolded him gently, relieved to find her words were true and the sore place in her heart wasn’t quite so tender anymore.

“You’re the best, Mom.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek before going back outside.

She watched as the opening of the back door scared the rest of the birds away. Flying up in a cloud of whirring motion, they wore all the colors of the rainbow. The look on Ruth’s face was so arresting, Julie paused to try and decipher it. Joy, pain, loss and finally resignation and acceptance chased themselves across her scarred face. For a moment, Julie saw her face whole with no scars then it blurred back to the familiar half disfigured and half undamaged.

Shaking her head, she went back to making breakfast while her brain whirled between the enigma that was Ruth and Sam’s confession. She hadn’t been lying when she had approved his choice. Dinner on Sunday had been delightful. Julie paused with the first cake on the griddle. Seth had seemed like a friend of long standing rather than a comparative stranger.

Toby came in yawning, trailed by Mei Ling with a book open already. “Hi, Moms. Something smells good.”

“Pancakes, Toby. Would you get the syrups down from the cupboard?” She directed him and after pressing a kiss to her cheek, he pulled down the familiar cruets of maple, raspberry and boysenberry syrups.

“Anything I can do to help, Mrs. H.?” Mei Ling carefully replaced her finger with a bookmark.

“We’ll need plates and silverware, Mei Ling.” Julie winced at the shrill screech of the teakettle. “Can you get that, honey?”

“No problem.” Mei Ling quickly lifted the teakettle and brought it over to the big teapot that already had tea bags in it. Pouring carefully, she filled it to the brim and then popped the padded tea cozy over it.

Sam and Ruth came in, bringing a chill breeze with them.

“Good morning, everyone.” Ruth’s husky voice sounded clearer today. 

Julie watched while she sat down at the table with a sigh. The wind had whipped color into her cheeks but she was still pale and shaky. “Good morning, Ruth. I’ve never seen so many birds together in one place before.”

The silver eye met hers and the little quirk of lips that was her smile appeared. “They very much appreciate the multiple feeders you keep full over the winter.”

Sam came over to the stove and took the first three pancakes she’d finished and placed on the platter by her side, handing one to each of them. “You’ll need to rest this morning if you want another trip outside this afternoon.”

“I don’t know if I can wait that long, Sam. I need to visit the Peabody. Today is not too soon.” Ruth accepted a cup of tea from Mei Ling and poured some boysenberry syrup over her pancake. 

“Do we know yet if Colonel Griffin is related to the Griffin who paid for the exhibition?” Toby asked around a mouthful of pancake. “Moms, these are great.”

“Thank you, Toby. Sam, why don’t you call the colonel and ask him a genealogy question?” Julie shot her suddenly blushing son a quick look and flipped another pancake.

“Philip Anthony Griffin was his name.” Ruth added. “His nickname was Page. And the opera story is quite true.”

Toby snorted his juice and Mei Ling pounded him on the back while Sam started to laugh and couldn’t seem to stop. Julie just shook her head and caught a teasing look from Ruth that told her she’d deliberately lowered the tension in the room. Nodding to their guest, she promised herself a heart to heart talk with her as soon as possible.

The next stack of pancakes disappeared then Sam took over the flipping while Julie sat down to eat. Toby and Mei Ling were expounding ever more crazy schemes to get the crates out of the museum and opened. Their sheer exuberance was enlightening. Julie had always wondered why her baby wanted to be an archaeologist but the zest he brought to this discussion showed her his secret desire.

The world had grown so small, the possibilities for adventure were few and far between. When the evening news came from countries that were only a few seconds away by satellite, there really wasn’t anyplace left to explore. The past could still be an adventure for the person patient enough to dig it up.

Mei Ling echoed her thoughts when she cocked her head to one side and gazed at Toby. “Why do unopened boxes always make our fingers itch?”

“The Pandora-itch.” Ruth pushed her plate away, shaking her head no to another pancake and cradling her teacup. “The human race is unable to leave any stone unturned. Finding the final frontier just makes us cross it to look at what is behind the rainbow.”

“So, the past is our final frontier?” Toby was skeptical.

Ruth shook her head gently. “No, the next frontier is moving off Earth and exploring what’s out there.”

Toby sighed. “I always wanted to be an astronaut but I couldn’t handle all the math. And with NASA funding getting slashed so badly this year, it doesn’t look like there’s going to be much of a future for space research.”

Now it was Ruth’s turn to sigh and Julie watched her gaze into her teacup. Her voice when it came was deep. “The future is coming sooner than they know. Burying our heads in the sands of Earth will not save us. It is the best time for us to look ahead.”

Sam frowned and stopped flipping pancakes. “That’s the voice you used four thousand years ago, the prophecy voice of my dream.”

“I’m sorry.” Ruth got up and disappeared into her room so quickly, Julie didn’t have time to blink.

Toby and Mei Ling were both looking at Sam. But Toby was the first to speak. “You had a dream like mine?”

Sam brought the stack of pancakes over to the table and sat down. Julie listened while he told the other two of his dream. When their questions started, she poured more tea into Ruth’s cup and quietly got up to take it in to her. She found her curled up on the window seat overlooking the backyard. Sitting beside her, she handed her the cup and sat back.

“I was jealous of you, Ruth. Toby told me of his dreams and it hurt, he considered you his mother too. Then when Sam finally told me what’s been bothering him, I was doubly jealous because he told you first. But you’re not here to take my sons from me, are you?”

She shook her head and watched the trees move in the wind. “When I woke up in the hospital, I was no longer alone in my body. Three sister-selves shared my memories. The doctors thought I’d turned schizophrenic, the blast had scrambled my brain. And for a while, I was afraid they were right. But then I began to heal and it was my first-self who speeded the healing with her knowledge of herbal medicine and what we would call accupressure. But the doctors didn’t approve or even try to understand and decided it would be best if I was ‘supervised’ was the term they used.”

“They put you in an asylum?” Julie was appalled.

“Exactly. My second-self figured a way out and I escaped. A new/old friend gave me shelter for a month while I finished all the healing I had time for. Luckily, he had an Internet connection so I could do my searching online. The crystal I need is in one of those crates at the Peabody.”

“A crystal? What is so special about one crystal? There are thousands of them nowadays, maybe even millions dug up by the New Agers.”

“There were originally four of them and they were the nexus of the power crystal that provided Atlantis with energy. When we knew that our island was doomed, King Orion authorized their dispersal along with as many of our people as we could cram aboard our ships. One made its way to Greece and two to China. The second Chinese crystal was supposed to go to South America but something happened and they never made it. While I was searching the Net, I came across mention of the Turner expedition and bells went off in my head.”

“That’s why you came to Boston? But why then did you get so sick if one of your personas was a healer?”

A haunted look crossed Ruth’s face. “The Goddess doesn’t believe in coddling her champions. And she’s prepared to use anyone to further my quest. It seems she knew I would need help finding the crystal.”

Julie sat up straight and tried to keep the glare off her face but knew she hadn’t succeeded when Ruth nodded. “My sons are not pawns in some cosmic game.”

“Keep them close to you, Julie. There will be no innocent blood shed this time, my word on it. My sister-selves taught me well. I’m heading so far north, there will be no one but myself to witness this meeting.” Her single eye caught Julie’s gaze. “I need their help to retrieve the crystal and then I’m leaving. With your aid, I can escape my well-meaning helpers and continue on.”

Julie didn’t know what she was feeling. There was a sick ache in her stomach and a throbbing behind her eyes that usually presaged a migraine. She felt as if she’d been picked up and set down on the other side of the looking glass. Ruth was asking her to protect her sons which she would have done anyway but at the risk of exposing the stranger in their midst to horrors unknown.

“’The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.’ I always thought Spock said it best. There are more people in the world today than ever before and the resulting stakes are so high, you must see what you need to do.” Ruth leaned closer and gently touched her temple.

The moment Julie was touched, the throbbing went away and she found herself nodding to Ruth. “Help you on your way and keep the boys busy here so they don’t try to follow.”

“Exactly, Julie. I have no wish to bring harm to those who have been so kind to me.” Ruth drank down what had to be cold tea.

Sam came in and headed for the phone on the desk. “He should be at the base by now. We’ll see how persuasive I can be.”

Julie watched him dial and sat back to enjoy the show, feeling better about life in general and her sons in particular than ever before.

“Hello, Eileen, is Colonel Griffin in . . . I see . . . Yes, I do need to speak to him right away.” He put his hand over the mouthpiece and grimaced at his audience. “Eileen is a dragon when it comes to the Colonel.”

Julie laughed quietly while Ruth gave a little smile.

“Colonel Griffin . . . All right . . . Seth. I’ve got an odd question for you. By any chance is Philip Anthony Griffin who died in 1903 a relative of yours?” He listened intently, nodding unconsciously at the voice on the line. “Did you know he paid for an expedition to China in the year of his death and the results of that trip were crated and sent back to America and the Peabody Museum?”

More talking and Julie itched to have a speakerphone handy.

“I know this is a big imposition and I really can’t explain it over the phone but would you be willing to come to the house at noon for lunch?” Sam’s face lit up. “You would? That’s great! I have someone I’d like you to meet.” He nodded again and then went white. Ruth was off the window seat and to his side before Julie could even move.

She took the phone from Sam and spoke into the receiver. “Colonel Griffin, my name is Ruth and yes, Sam did have a dream last night. I can explain it if you will just come. Don’t wait until lunch, come now. Please.”

Julie found herself hugging Sam while Ruth smiled and hung up the phone. “Well, Sam, it looks like you’d better change clothes. He’s on his way.”

Sam hugged Julie so hard she squealed then brushed a kiss over Ruth’s undamaged cheek. “Thank you.”

“Nonsense, Sam, I didn’t do anything. Wear that pretty red sweater over those jeans that are about ready to go into the scrap pile.” Ruth shooed him away and Julie watched him hurry off. “Julie, is this going to be all right with you and Edward?”

“All we ever wanted was our sons’ happiness. It’s not the path I would have chosen for him if only because of the way society and especially the military views a …homosexual pairing.” She stumbled over the word but took a deep breath and continued. “But if he’s going to choose a male partner, I think he’ll be safe with Seth. Safe and loved. A mother couldn’t ask for more.”

“True, but you could expect more.” Ruth gazed calmly back at her.

“Perhaps. No grandchildren and some initial winnowing out of the people we’ve always considered friends.” Julie could see the pitfalls ahead as if they were on a map listed from a to z. “But our real friends will be happy for Sam and welcome Seth as a new friend.” She paused and thought back over the last few minutes. “Seeing Sam smile like that is worth any amount of trouble.”

“And the rest of the family? Toby will be all right once he comes to grips with all the ramifications. Mei Ling will help him.” Ruth looked into the other room where voices rose and fell.

“Edward will be a bit bewildered for a while but he’ll come around eventually. And Peter will look at it logically and support Sam in every practical way.” Julie smiled. “He’s the Vulcan in our family. It must come from being the eldest and always looking out for Sam and then Toby. Peter has always known what he wanted and how to get it. Sam mentioned the other night that he thought Peter would be a general before he retired and I expect he’s right.”

“Ah, a thinker and a doer.” Ruth nodded. “Too bad I won’t be meeting him this time around.”

“I did notice that two of my sons shared lives with you.” Julie asked, her curiosity peaking. “Do you think Peter did as well?”

Ruth got that faraway look that Julie had noticed before. “He sounds like King Orion in Atlantis. They elected their kings there and even though he was the younger son, he was chosen to rule. I never doubted the people had chosen correctly once I met him.”

“Who were you in that life?”

“Just a priestess, not even one of the inner circle.” Ruth smiled. “The Goddess came to me one night in a dream and told me that a great challenge was coming to our world. She needed an avatar to fight for her. Then she handed me a sword of crystal and touched my forehead. When I awoke the next morning, I was holding the sword in my hand. When I went to tell High Priestess Illyan of my vision, she gasped before I could even tell her and bowed low before me. I couldn’t understand why until she held a polished metal mirror in front of me and that’s when I saw it.”

Julie was practically holding her breath. “Saw what?”

Ruth shook herself out of her trance. “A crescent moon was etched into my forehead. A blood red moon that signaled war for our world. King Orion heard me out when Illyan took me to him. Nodded once and began planning the evacuation of our people. He stood with me when the Ikiiri came. I’m assuming we died together, along with the rest of the invasion force.”

Julie swallowed hard and tried to shake the chill from her bones. “Is that what always happens?”

“So far.” Ruth understood the real question and smiled gently. “I fight the Ikiiri, destroy them and die. Pretty simple really. It seems to be all the Goddess needs of me. Each time, I’ve been unable to save those nearest to me. This life, there are no blood ties to protect. I’m a complete orphan. The friends I’ve made will feel some sorrow but then they’ll move on with their lives. And actually, over the millennium, I’ve been refining the techniques of our battles. Each time, there are fewer and fewer casualties. This time, I think I can keep it down to just me and the Ikiiri.”

Julie nodded unsure just what to say to someone who was planning her own death with such matter of fact confidence.

“I wouldn’t mention this to the boys. There’s something about that Y chromosome that just won’t take this kind of plan sitting down.” Ruth smiled and Julie found herself nodding agreement. “You know, I think I could eat another pancake.”

Laughing, Julie ushered Ruth back into the kitchen and the rather misshapen cake that Toby had produced on the griddle. Julie promised herself a good hard think about all that had happened, later when things had calmed down. But for the first time since Ruth had appeared, she felt things would come out all right. At least for her sons and the world as she knew it. That might sound selfish to some but she realized, Ruth understood completely.

Cold blooded? Yes. Women really were the more practical species. And her mother instincts were on high alert. For now.

******************


	9. Plots Upon Plots

Standing in front of his open closet door, Sam dithered over what to wear. He hadn’t been this nervous since his first surgery. His hands were shaking and he had to fight the urge to go throw up. Finding a glass of water by his bed, he drank it down slowly, fighting for some equanimity. Deep breaths, Sam. Take deep breaths and remember what Ruth said.

The jeans he’d worn Sunday night were still hanging on the back of his desk chair. He took off his sweats and threw them on the bed before pulling on the worn denim. For a long moment, he couldn’t remember if he even had a red sweater then he remembered last Christmas and headed for the built in cedar drawers at the end of his closet. Rummaging through them, he pulled out the red sweater that his mother had knitted for him.

Pulling it on over his head, he looked at himself in the mirror on the sliding closet door. For a moment, his image morphed into a dark haired man wearing a white tunic over leather leggings, then with a blink, he was himself again. Groaning out loud, he looked in despair at his ordinary features.

“You look like a dork, Sam Hamilton.” He muttered and pinched his cheeks to try and get some color into them. “Shoes. Where are your shoes?”

He checked the closet, the bathroom he shared with Toby and under his desk but the black loafers were nowhere in sight. Getting down on his hands and knees, he peered under the bed and finally saw them. Pulling the first one out from under, he stretched to reach the other one.

The sound of a tap on his door and the creaking hinge came at the same moment he got a finger hooked on the heel. “I’ll be right with you.”

“No hurry, Sam. The view from here is inspiring.” The rich warm tones froze him to the spot then made him shiver.

He wriggled out from under the bed and sat back to look at the man leaning against the door. He’d changed out of the trim Marine uniform and wore a pair of black pants topped with a green and black sweater. He looked . . . edible, Sam decided.

“Hi.” He managed to croak.

“Hi, yourself. This is going to sound like the worst pick up line ever written but,” Colonel Griffin shook his head ruefully, coming further into the room. “But I think we’ve met before . . . Xenos.”

Sam shivered at the familiar sound of that voice speaking his other name. Holding out a hand, he let the other man pull him to his feet. “Sar.”

Then those strong arms were holding him tight while he tried to bury himself in the embrace. This was nothing like hugging a woman. A hard chest matched his own while the arms that held him were just as strong as his. Taking a deep breath of the shoulder where his face rested, he savored the blend of Old Spice and laundry softener.

“I’m a little scared, Seth.” He muttered into the sweater.

“Don’t ever be scared of me, Sam. This attraction was there right from the moment I flipped on the light and saw you curled up in my bed. For a moment, I felt like I’d won the lottery.” Seth chuckled and Sam could feel the sound vibrate through his body.

“You took care of me and made me feel better after what had been a truly awful day.” Sam pulled back just far enough to see Seth’s eyes.

“I wish I could have done more.” Seth’s hand came up and gently brushed back the lock of hair that was always falling onto his forehead. “I wanted to crawl into bed with you but that might have been a bit much.”

“I’d have liked that.” Sam whispered over the lump in his throat.

“Sam.” Seth breathed his name before leaning in for their first kiss.

Well, the first kiss in this lifetime, Sam thought through a haze of sensation that befuddled all his senses. Who knew his lips would be so soft?

Coffee.

Toothpaste.

Something that was just Seth and instantly addicting.

Sam took a deep breath when Seth pulled far enough away for them to breathe. “Wow.” Seth began to chuckle and Sam smiled. “We’ve got things to do, Seth but I’d like a rain check on this.”

“Oh, you have one, Sam. Rain or shine, we will continue this later.” Seth dropped his hands and took his own deep breath.

“Downstairs.” Sam couldn’t resist one last touch of a still smooth cheek. “Mom and Ruth both know but I don’t think the others do.”

“Understood. I’ll try to keep my hands to myself. It would probably help if you wore something bulky and shapeless so I’m not tempted to touch you and keep touching you.” Seth sighed.

“I could say the same.” Sam said shyly. “But I think the story you’re about to hear will keep your mind off us for a while.”

Seth arched an elegant eyebrow and nodded while Sam jammed his feet into his shoes. They walked down the wide oak stairs side by side but not touching. Sam decided he’d have to put his hands in his pockets because they’d developed a mind of their own and kept wandering towards Seth.

“This is going to be harder than I thought.” He said a little desperately.

“I know. You have no idea how hard it was to keep my eyes and hands off of you Sunday night. When you went quiet, I was afraid that I’d misread the signals.”

Sam stopped on the last step. “I was sending out signals?”

“Oh, Lord. Don’t tell me you’ve never been attracted to a man before.” Seth bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.” Sam didn’t know what else to say.

A hand caught his and squeezed tightly. “Nothing to be sorry for, Sam. I’m afraid I can’t say the same. But I can promise you we’ll go slow so you can decide if this has any future.”

Sam fought back a smile, not sure if Seth would understand. “We’ve already got a past. I think the future could be even better.”

“The dream? A past life memory?” Seth arched that eyebrow again and Sam’s fingers itched to smooth it.

“Ruth can explain it.” Sam finished descending the stairs and gave into the urge to touch his cheek one more time. Seth turned his head enough to feather a kiss across his palm, sending a lightning bolt straight to his groin.

“In at least one of my past lives, I must have been very, very good.” Seth sighed and stepped back, putting the proper eighteen inches that society demanded between them.

“Me, too.” Sam whispered and led him into the kitchen.

His mom was arranging what looked to be a dozen roses in one of her crystal vases, while Ruth delicately stroked one of them against her scarred cheek. 

“I’d forgotten how very sweet they smell.” Ruth mused and lifted her eyes to meet their curious gaze. “We sent Toby and Mei Ling to the store. There’s several ways we could do this but the easiest is for you to sit by me while I explain.”

Seth sat beside her and Sam took the chair on her other side. 

Ruth laid the rose on the table and took a deep breath. “There is a connection between us all ready. What I need to do is bridge the gap.” Reaching out her right hand, she stroked the center of Seth’s forehead before tracing a circle on his skin. His eyes closed slowly as if weighted, then Sam felt her left hand on his forehead and before he could react, he was somewhere else.

**********   
_  
Black clouds raced across the sky, raining black ash and stone down upon us. I called out Sar’s name but he was lost among the panicking crowd. Fire glowed to the north like the pits of Tartarus, shooting into the blackened sky with pillars of flame. The air choked rather than refreshed and I had to keep telling those I was shepherding to pull part of their tunics over their mouth so they could breathe. The other guards tried to keep everyone moving but the crowd could not understand what was happening and so they milled around not moving away from the palace in the direction we needed them to go._

_A hand on my shoulder startled me but then I realized it was Sar. His temple was cut and bleeding sluggishly but he shook his head when I moved to bind it._

_“Not important. The grooms are bringing out the horses. Our people will follow when they can see who’s in charge.” Sar held my arm and I had to use all my willpower not to hold on to him and never let go. “We need to lead them south to the mountains. The earth has moved twice and I’m afraid there will be a tidal wave when the volcano erupts again.”_

_“Will this rain of stone stop if we go further south?”_

_“No, I fear my sister has unleashed all the powers of Hades against the bright lights that fell from the sky.”_

_“Could she have made it safely off Thira before it erupted?”_

_His face twisted in grief. “No. No one could have survived once the eruption began. She has done what the gods told her to do, now it’s up to us to honor her memory by saving as many of her people as we can.”_

_The neighing of horses came from behind us and we moved through the crowd to our mounts. I swung up onto the white mare I’d raised from a foal. Moonglow pranced beneath me, not liking the crowds or the constant sting of the unusual rain. Sar swung up onto Thunder, his favorite stallion. Yelling out, he got those nearest us to stop panicking and start listening._

_“Head for the Dhiktis Mountains. We should be safe there until Our Mother the Sea subsides.” He pointed south and began moving Thunder in that direction. Given a leader to follow, most of the crowd began to move in that direction. The household wagons appeared, heaped with storage jars behind us._

_I rode up along side Sar and he motioned me to move three or four horse lengths away so we could control more of the crowd. The rest of the guard scattered out about the same distance and we slowly got our people moving towards the far mountains where they could find shelter from the gathering storm. The earth moved uneasily beneath our feet and Moonglow shied away from the people near her._

_It took all my concentration to keep her steady and moving towards the rolling hills to the south of us. The light changed around us, glowing eerily through the gathering clouds. The people around us were doing their best but most of them were unaccustomed to walking such long distances. A mother, who led two young children and carried a third, faltered ahead of me and I swung off Moonglow when I reached her side._

_“Ma’am, why don’t you ride for awhile. The children could use the rest.”_

_She nodded gratefully and I helped her to mount then set one small boy ahead of her and one behind, telling him to hold on to his mother tightly. The first boy held the baby with his mother’s arms about them both. I stayed near, in case Moonglow objected but apart from rolling her eyes at me, she kept an even pace._

_I noticed that Sar had given up Thunder to a lame boy and his grandfather while each of the carthorses had picked up a rider or two. For a moment, I actually thought we might survive this war of the gods then a long wail came from behind us and I turned to see the largest wave of water I have ever seen reach the harbor. It appeared higher than the mountains we would not reach in time._

_My eyes met Sar’s gaze, our recognition of what was to come needing no words. Yelling at the matron and children to hold on, I used the flat of my blade to smack Moonglow’s hindquarters. She took off at a dead run, scattering the crowd before her. I headed towards Sar and met him in time to feel the chill of the great wall of water sweep over us._

************** 

Sam opened his eyes, feeling like a stranger in his own kitchen. For a moment, he saw Sar’s face superimposed over Seth’s then it changed between one blink and the next. His hand went out across the table and Seth’s was there to catch it in a grip of iron. Ruth pushed back her chair and almost ran to the back door before opening it and disappearing.

“What just happened?” His mom sat down with a thump. “It was you then it wasn’t. You were speaking Greek to each other and then Ruth let out a cry and dropped her hands.”

“How long, Mom?” Sam stood on shaky legs.

“A minute? Maybe less.” 

“Damn, that was . . . I’m not sure what that was.” Seth shook his head.

“I have to go check on Ruth. Mom, would you put the kettle on?” Sam dropped a kiss on his mother’s head and shook his head at Seth’s questioning look.

She hadn’t gone far, just to the birdbath by the garage. He saw the tear tracks and handed her a tissue from his pocket.

“I don’t know why She keeps bringing me back. All I do is get everybody killed. You think She would have learned from Atlantis. At least we had two colonies, which survived that debacle. Removing the vent plug below Thira to activate the volcano just ensured most of the population of the Mediterranean along the coasts died horrible deaths. Not to mention wiping out the first civilized kingdom of the Aegean.”

“You died along with us.” Sam stuck his hands into his pockets and watched a cardinal on a low branch.

“I don’t matter, Sam. I belong to Her and She uses me as needed.” She was watching the red bird too and holding out her hand above the water, she whistled gently. The bird cocked his head and bobbed it up and down for a moment before gathering his courage and flying down to the water’s edge. He chirped a question and she chirped back in perfect imitation.

Sam stood perfectly still, almost afraid to breathe while the cardinal drank his fill, bobbing his head to Ruth again then taking wing back to the old apple tree by the bend in the path. “That’s . . . I don’t quite know what to call that.”

“Remnants of my first-self.” Ruth sighed and rubbed her temple. “I’m so tired of screwing up. I thought I was free and clear of all entanglements this time around. But everywhere I turn there’s someone from one of my other lives. Your mother asked if I thought your oldest brother knew me too. I’d just as soon not find out, thank you very much."

Sam tried not to smile but the plaintive note in her voice had him coughing unconvincingly into his hand. “What are the odds of that happening?”

Ruth snorted derisively. “When She’s involved? There are no odds. There is only action. At least you and Toby will get something out of this imbroglio.”

Feeling eyes on them, Sam turned to see Seth walking towards them. “I approve of Her matchmaking skills.”

She turned to watch Seth approach. “I have to say in both your cases, I do too. But then She always did have a soft spot for green eyes.”

“I have the feeling I shouldn’t ask what you mean.” Seth stood beside Sam within touching distance and Sam had to fight the urge to give in and just reach out for him. “So, Sam and I were lovers in ancient Greece. And you were my sister.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on making any claims on you except to ask for your help in retrieving a crystal from the basement of the Peabody. Please.” Ruth stood straight and looked up into his eyes.

“All right, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Today. Time is growing short.” 

Seth’s eyebrow arched in question.

“Even if you get the ball rolling today, I estimate that it will be Thursday before we can actually see what’s inside those boxes. And I’m going to ask you to look the other way when I find the crystal. If you have a problem with that I need to know now.”

“A shard of crystal with bubbles inside that made rainbows when light shone through it.” It was not quite a question.

“It’s twin. The one I had at Thira was destroyed along with the Ikiiri.”

“Bright lights in the sky and a loud clap of thunder, we thought was Zeus with his lightning bolts. A sonic boom?” Seth rocked back and forth on his heels with his hands firmly fixed in his pants pockets.

“Yes, in a manner of speaking. They are not of Earth.”

“And they come every two thousand years?” Sam put another piece into the puzzle that was his patient. “They challenge a representative from Earth for what?”

“For Earth. When I confront her, I am Earth’s avatar. I never lose, gentleman, in case you’re wondering. It’s the damn fall out I find so unacceptable. There has to be a way to keep our conflict from decimating half the known world.” She paced back and forth.

Sam decided if she had a tail, it would be whipping back and forth in agitation. Just then, a small sparrow flew in and settled on her shoulder. With a chirp, they began a conversation back and forth until he flew away. Sam watched Seth watch her with wide eyes and a half-disbelieving smile on his firm lips.

He dragged his attention away from those lips and put it back on his patient who was standing as still as the stone fountain. A breeze blew up from the creek, blowing a blast of cold air across his skin like an icy caress. Her head tilted up, following the sound of the wind among the bare branches of the apple tree. Ruth nodded to the tree and held out her good hand as if to catch the invisible air.

Turning slowly, she gazed at them with a half-smile on her lips. “We need to get inside so Seth can start the ball rolling. I’ll need to go to Boston tonight or tomorrow. Will that be a problem?”

Sam shook his head. “I’ve got to go into the clinic tomorrow anyway. It’s Wednesday and my shift.”

Nodding, she eyed Seth with a rather speculative look. “Perhaps you would be willing to take a couple of personal days, Colonel? Until we get in and out, I need your full attention.” Then she grinned. “Only what you can spare from Sam, of course.”

Seth’s grin matched her own while he bowed to the small woman who stood so commandingly before him. “Difficult but not impossible. He is a distraction.”

Then they were both looking at him and Sam was blushing so hard, he could feel his ears go red. He figured he was saved an embarrassing interlude when Toby and Mei Ling drove in. They all helped carry in the grocery sacks and Ruth went to take a nap while they put away the perishables. Seth made two calls before he found the person he was looking for.

“Marag dearest, I need a favor.” He sat at the kitchen table with a note pad before him. “Now, don’t be that way, it wasn’t my fault that your son went into the Navy. How is he doing?”

Sam put a cup of tea in front of him then sat down with the cookie jar. Seth thanked him with a smile and a brush of his hand. It felt like a thousand volts of electricity arcing through him. Both their eyes widened and they exchanged a look that sizzled.

“Marag, are you still on the Board of Directors of the Peabody Museum?” Seth sat up straight and picked up the pen. “Did you know that Great Uncle Silas Griffin backed an expedition to China in 1903 before he stroked out? And that the Peabody’s Professor Turner was the archaeologist?”

He sat and nodded to his cousin, jotting down a word or two. “What are the odds of getting those crates out of the basement and cataloged?” He grimaced. “That long, huh? Would money help? And two archaeology students who are just itching to earn some extra credit?”

Mei Ling sat down on his other side and slid the cookie jar away from Sam. He mock growled at her and she stuck out her tongue at him. Toby sat down by her and calmly took the jar into his possession with a smug air of triumph that quickly turned to dismay when he realized that it was empty.

“All right, one more incentive.” Seth sighed and put a hand over the mouthpiece. “Sam, can I tell her about you and Ruth?”

“How much are you going to tell her? Is she a reincarnation believer?” 

“She’s the matchmaker of the family.” Seth’s eyes asked the real question. Do you mind if she knows we are maybe an item?

Sam took a deep breath and caught a caring look from Mei Ling. “Go ahead, Seth.”

“I have just met two of the most fascinating people, Marag. Ruth has knowledge of several of her past lives. And Dr. Sam Hamilton is the officer I told you about from Kosovo.” He held the phone away from his ear and the every one heard the squeal of delight. Bringing it back gingerly, he tried to get her attention. “Marag . . . Marag . . . dearest cousin, there will be time for that later. I promise I’ll introduce you to them both. But I really need those crates out of the basement and into a place where they can be taken apart and everything in them examined.”

Julie joined them at the table with the teapot in hand and a plate of fresh, hot oatmeal cookies from the oven. Sam took one with a smile and munched it happily while Seth kept up a constant litany of ‘yes’ and ‘un-huh’ and ‘really’. Toby and Mei Ling fought over who would get the biggest of the cookies until Seth reached over and calmly took it out from under their noses.

“Good, Marag. We’ll be there at 0800 tomorrow morning. Can you let us in the staff entrance? Excellent, we’ll all be there. And Marag, be nice.” He laughed and arose to hang up the phone. “See you tomorrow.”

“How is she going to get permission?” Mei Ling asked curiously.

“The board meeting isn’t for three weeks so she’s going to have the crates brought up to the board room for us to go through. The table there is nice and long so it will make a great place to lay out all the items as we uncrate them.” Seth took a sip of his tea.

“Cool! We’re going to need tags and small boxes we can use to put like items together.” Mei Ling appropriated the notebook while she and Toby made a list of things needed.

Sam sat back and watched his little brother competently put together a plan of action. The maturity of the nineteen-year-old amazed him, especially when he thought back to his own youth. But long before the list was complete, he’d gone back to watching Seth. The way he laughed, the gestures of his hands, the gleam in his eyes and the heat of him where their knees touched under the table all combined to feed the need he had to touch him.

Seth glanced over and something in Sam’s gaze must have warned him that privacy was needed. Just then, Ruth began to cough again. Julie poured a cup of tea and handed it to Sam who gestured to Seth to follow him into the bedroom. Once they were inside with the door shut, Sam handed the newly wakened Ruth her tea and turned into Seth’s arms.

“This constant need to touch you is rather disconcerting.” Seth said quietly in his ear while his strong hands soothed long strokes across his back.

“Oh good, it isn’t just me.” Sam sighed and nestled his head into the inviting curve of neck and shoulder.

“Go slowly, my friends.” Ruth’s voice rasped a little. “Give yourselves the time to gently explore the possibilities. Part of you is Xenos and Sarpedon but they are only a part. There is much to learn of your new selves. Take the time to do it right.”

“Good advice, Ruth. But it will be hard.” Seth settled his hands at Sam’s waist.

Sam pulled back a little. “We could start with dinner out tonight.”

A slow smile was his answer.

“Good idea. A date is just what you need.” Ruth smiled on them both.

A date. Just what the doctor ordered. Sam grinned and felt the hum of anticipation thrum through him.

*******************


	10. The Peabody Revisited

Toby stretched and jumped out of bed, grabbing for his running sweats. He needed to run and chase away all the cobwebs. Determinedly, he didn’t think about the strange day they’d had the day before. But memories kept popping up of odd moments when silences gave way to looks or laughter and he still hadn’t figured out all the undercurrents.

Stepping quietly out of his bedroom, he headed down the stairs, reaching the bottom as the grandfather clock chimed out six a.m. Grinning, he followed his nose to the source of the coffee smell. Sam was standing at the window over the sink watching something in the backyard while sipping his coffee.

Detouring only far enough to get his own cup, he joined his brother. Ruth was dancing among a flock of birds swooping around her in lazy circles. Part of her dance resembled a martial arts kata he’d seen Mei Ling perform. All her movements were slow and fluid as if she were performing them underwater. The birds served as a counter point to her own positions acting more like a partner than a flock of disparate entities.

Toby realized she was finished when she stood for a long moment, her hands outstretched as if in supplication to someone unseen. He found he was holding his breath and waiting for . . . something, he wasn’t sure what. That’s when he noticed the tree branches bending under the wind. The birds scattered, pursued by an unseen force. She stood straight while the wind picked up snow and dead leaves, whirling them around her until she could not be seen at all.

Sam gave a little moan and made an abortive attempt to move to the back door, halting when the force began to slowly die away, leaving the debris scattered across the garden. Ruth knelt on one knee with her head bowed to the invisible visitor. The birds slowly returned, clustering around the still figure. One brave cardinal flew onto her shoulder and she turned her head to answer his questioning chirp.

His brother gave a shuddering sigh and gulped his coffee. “She told me yesterday she didn’t matter because she belongs to her goddess to be used as needed. I’m afraid for her but then something like that happens and I don’t know whether I should just step back and let it happen or step in to try to help.”

Toby watched Ruth stand and move towards the back door. “Comes down to trust, big brother. If the fate of the world is going to come down to one person, do you want it to be her? I mean, she got us both killed before.”

Sam looked at him. “Better to have some casualties then to lose the world although those deaths weigh heavily on her. Is it better to have someone who cares about the people she’s defending or a crusader who goes out to fight for the glory of winning?”

“It’s the whole big picture thing, isn’t it?” Toby sighed. “If there is a Goddess who watches over us, She has to care for all of us. And sometimes, some of us are going to have to be sacrificed for the greater good.”

“Nonsense, Toby, I’m no martyr and neither are any of you.” Ruth’s husky voice came from the back door. “This time, there aren’t going to be any casualties. I hope.”

“We’re going to go for a run, Ruth. You’ll be all right?” Sam set his coffee cup in the sink after rinsing it.

“I’ll be fine, Sam. Go and sort yourself out.” She smiled at them both and headed for the stove and the gently steaming teakettle.

Toby nodded to her and left with Sam. They stretched in the drive until they could move easily, then took off towards the country club golf course. In the winter, the golf cart paths were popular with the runners in the neighborhood. They exchanged waves with another pair of runners then settled in to an easy pace. By the eighteenth hole, Toby figured that Sam had had enough time to sort out his thoughts.

“So, Sam, what’s with Seth and you?”

Sam stumbled, turning wide eyes to him. “What do you mean?”

“You do the whole quiet thing Sunday night then suddenly he’s helping us and you’re going out to dinner with him. And you can’t quit touching him.” Toby pointed out.

“Oh.” Sam was blushing and he’d slowed to a jog.

“I mean if there is something going on, I’d be okay about it.” Toby studied his brother out of the corner of his eye. “Mei Ling mentioned something on Monday about the two of you so I’ve kind of been thinking about it. He’s a nice guy although I can’t see the whole ‘studly’ thing.”

Sam choked and stopped completely. Toby ran in place while Sam got himself together. He listened while the whole story poured out, then they were running again, side by side while Toby thought about what he’d heard. Knowing Sam had been attracted to Seth long before the dreams began, was a comfort. He still hadn’t quite come to terms with the dreams yet or how he felt about them. He was confused but he didn’t want to hurt his big brother’s feelings.

“I can’t say I totally understand, Sam but you’re my brother and I don’t want you to get hurt. Does Mom know?”

“I told her yesterday. She agrees with Mei Ling about the ‘studly’ thing.”

This time is was Toby who stopped dead in his tracks. “No way! Mom said that?”

Sam held up his fingers in a boy-scout salute. “Honest. I thought my jaw was going to drop right to the floor. I haven’t told Dad yet. I kind of wanted to see what would happen. There’s so much going on right now, it seemed better to just keep quiet about this . . . attraction.”

“Okay. I mean, I want you to be happy and if Seth is the guy who can do it then I’ll be fine. Just take some getting used.” Toby smiled at his brother and got a shy smile back. Even though there were fifteen years between them, Toby was feeling rather protective of Sam. He’d watched him date over the years and even he could see that none of them came close to making him happy.

“On another note, are you and Mei Ling going to come into Boston with me? I got a hold of David Wells and he’s going to cover the clinic for me but he can’t come until noon so I need to go in and open up for the first three hours at least.” Sam had his doctor’s face on, the one Toby recognized from his childhood.

“Sure. I gave Matt a call last night and he’s going to let us in the side door at eight. We can maybe even have the crates upstairs by the time you get done.”

“Seth is going to meet you there with his cousin Marag. He said between the two of them, they should be able to cut through all the red tape.” Sam smiled faintly while they began to slow for the last few blocks to home.

“Which of us is Ruth going to be with?”

Sam looked startled. “I don’t know. She said she needed to go in to Boston and I assumed she meant to the Peabody.”

Toby snorted. “I don’t think you can assume anything around her. She doesn’t look at the world the way anyone else does.”

“True. But my instincts say to trust her. Even if she did get me killed the last time around.” Sam smiled at him and opened the kitchen door to the smell of bacon cooking.

Toby shook his head and followed him in. Mei Ling was squeezing fresh oranges with the juicer while Ruth buttered bagel halves and Julie scrambled eggs. 

“You have fifteen minutes or we eat it all ourselves.” Julie said over her shoulder. “Sam, you can use our shower. Edward finished a few moments ago.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Sam kissed her cheek and headed upstairs while Toby stole a strip of bacon from the draining tray before hugging his mom and heading for his own shower.

*********** 

Ruth sat in front beside Sam while Toby and Mei Ling sat in the back. They’d decided one car would be enough. They were two blocks from the Peabody when Ruth tugged on Sam’s arm with an exclamation.

“Sam, pull over here, please. There’s Joe.”

Toby sat up and craned his neck to see who she meant. The shabby old man who waved at their car looked to be a hundred years old and his hand trembled with palsy. Ruth rolled the window down. “Joe, is there something wrong?”

“Police, mi’lady. They come rousting out us who were left. Asked at the clinic about a scarred woman, acting crazy. Thought the Doc should be warned. I remembered you talked about the museum so I stuck around in case you came by.” His voice shook as badly as his hands, where they lay on the car. “You look some better, mi’lady but the sparrow said you did.”

“Thank you, Joe. Doctor Sam did a wonderful job in healing me. I’m going to stay here at the Peabody today. Would you be willing to stick around until this evening?” Ruth warmed his hands in her own.

“If’n you need me, you just got to ask. There’s a real warm grate in the alley behind the Museum. Hasn’t really been cold enough to need it yet so I can stay there without getting in somebody’s territory.” He nodded with a little smile.

“Good. If I can’t come myself, you can trust the others here. Joe, this is Toby Hamilton, Doctor Sam’s brother and his friend Mei Ling Chang.”

“Hi, Joe, it’s nice to meet a friend of Ruth’s.” Mei Ling smiled at the old man and Toby gave him a wave.

He blushed as if he’d never been introduced to anyone before, nodding a greeting then stepping back from the car. “Oh, mi’lady, the Wolf come by and said he was ready when you were.”

“Excellent, Joe.” Ruth sighed and pulled up her backpack, unzipping the side pocket and pulling out an apple. “Mrs. Hamilton gave me three of these, I’d appreciate it if you’d take one of them off my hands. She gets real upset if I don’t eat everything.”

“You sure?” Joe asked uncertainly then took the bright red fruit with a look of delight. “Be a real treat, mi’lady. I’ll be there when you need me. The grate’s out behind the museum near the dumpsters.”

“We’ll see you later, Joe. Stay alert.” Ruth patted his hand and he shuffled away, holding tightly to his apple.

Toby reconsidered his view on street people while they drove the last few blocks to the museum. He’d always considered them people who had no ambition or halfway patients released from institutions as not crazy enough to be taken care of but still not quite all there or hopeless drug addicts just panhandling enough to keep themselves in the drug of choice. But there was something almost sweet about the old man who’d been so careful of Ruth. 

Mi’lady, he called her. I wonder if he thinks of himself as the prince? Toby wondered if Joe had shared a life with Ruth before and if he had, which one it was. He said goodbye to Sam absentmindedly while still pondering fate and destiny. He’d been born to a family of comfortable means and the ability to choose his own path while Joe looked like he’d slid from poor to homeless in his life.

And how far down are you when an apple is a real treat? He sighed and made a promise to himself to be more alert the next time he came upon a street person.

“How many are like Joe, Ruth?” Mei Ling put one of his thoughts into words.

She smiled faintly. “More than I would like, Mei Ling. The lost ones who live in the shadows because they’re not ‘pretty’ enough or ‘sane’ enough are always with us. Society has never turned its back on so many before. There are predators out there but most of the street people I’ve met are victims of one kind or another. Joe’s an alcoholic, enthralled by a drug legally sold everywhere. But since I met him, he hasn’t had a single drink. Sometimes, all that’s needed is a reason not to take that next drink.”

Toby thought about that then risked a question. “Was he in one of your lives?”

“Atlantis. Captain of the guard at the palace. A good man but even then he had a powerful thirst.” Ruth shook her head. “Why don’t you two go first? Matt is expecting the two of you. Perhaps I should be a cousin, Toby?”

He snorted at her. “At the very least, you’re family.”

“Why, thank you. That’s one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me.” Ruth fiddled with the scarf that hid some of the scars on her left side. “If he should ask, I had a car accident.”

“Got’cha.” Toby nodded and rang the bell beside the steel door. 

Matt must have been waiting because the door opened immediately. “Come in, come in. I don’t know what you said to the Board but this place is like an anthill being stalked by an anteater. This is so exciting.”

“Ruth, I’d like you to meet Matt Somers, one of the worker ants here at the Peabody. Matt, this is my cousin, Ruth . . . Hamilton.” Toby stumbled over the last name when he realized that he didn’t know what it was.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Matt. Please just call me Ruth. My cousins have been telling me all about this wonderful institution and your fascinating job here.” Ruth put out her hand and Matt shook it eagerly.

“The pleasure is mine, Ruth. Mr. Griffin and Mrs. Campbell are already in the basement looking at the crates.” Matt didn’t seem to even notice Ruth’s scars while he bounced up and down on his heels. “This is so cool. I’m supposed to take you down as soon as you come.”

“Lead the way, Matt. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can see what’s in those boxes.” Toby clapped him on the shoulder and winked at the other two.

All the way down the stairs, Matt babbled about the orders from the top about clearing out the boardroom, assembling the boxes, bags, brushes and other tools needed to take care of whatever they found in the crates. Once they reached the sub-basement, more introductions were made.

Toby approved of Marag Campbell immediately. She was tall and well curved with the reddest hair he’d ever seen. Her green eyes were identical to Seth’s and there was something in her smile that reminded him of the Marine Colonel. He found himself eyeing Seth while he tried again to see what Sam saw in him. Or for that matter, what Mei Ling and his mom saw when they looked at him.

While they moved the first crate onto the four-wheeled dolly, Seth had taken most of the weight as they manhandled it over the stack of boxes in the way. Toby was impressed and wondered if he lifted weights in his spare time. He had a sense of humor and topped his cousin’s tall tales quite neatly. For an old guy, he seemed to be pretty up on modern day slang too when he swore under his breath.

As long as he didn’t think about what Sam and he did when they were alone, Toby decided that he could accept Seth into the family. While he was coming to that realization, they moved the first two crates out of the basement and up the creaky freight elevator to the third floor. It was a whole other world up there with soft lighting and thick carpet in subdued colors. The boardroom had a table that was so big, Toby figured they could have used it as a runway for his ultralight aircraft.

There were stacks of cardboard boxes in small, medium and large sizes for when they emptied out the crates. Mei Ling and Ruth covered the gleaming oak with a triple thickness of newspaper to protect the surface. The three women stayed behind while the men went back to the basement to get the next two crates. They promised that they wouldn’t start without them. But Toby wasn’t so sure Ruth would be able to keep her hands off the crowbar. She just had a gleam in her eye that portended action of the opening kind.

The next two crates were much lighter so they decided to put the third heavy one on the dolly first then stack the other two on top of it. Seth steadied it on one side while Toby lightly held it in place on the other. Matt steered them into the elevator then squeezed in so the doors could close. Toby felt every bit of the heavy vibration and clanking as they moved slowly upward.

“Does this thing have a weight limit and how badly are we over it?” He asked somberly.

Matt started to laugh and he could hear Seth chuckle. They were all still laughing when the doors opened on the third floor. Quickly, they off loaded the crates in the boardroom, numbering them with a black magic marker in the order in which they’d come from the basement. Ruth sat down with the notebook and began the written inventory they would need of each crate. Toby and Mei Ling began the lifting out of each object while Matt prepared a box for it and Marag wrote up a tag with a full description of its contents.

Seth carefully went through each piece of straw packing material in case some small item got missed. He also helped Toby lift out the heavy statues that were in the bottom layer of the first crate. Time flew by with the number of helping hands they had and two crates had been emptied by the time 12:30 came around. 

“That’s enough for now, people. I ordered lunch to be delivered in a few minutes and we all need to wash up. I, for one, am grubby.” Marag declared and laid down her pen, shaking her fingers free of cramp.

“I am so hungry I could eat one of those cook pots we just tagged.” Mei Ling stretched like a cat, all over.

“Food would be good.” Toby thought longingly of their last meal at the Border Café. 

“Dibs on the Director’s private bathroom.” Seth stretched and made for the office through the door to the right. “Where did you order from, Marag?”

“Border Café. Their combination plates are to die for.” Marag grinned at Toby and Mei Ling’s muted cheers. “Come on, ladies, there’s another restroom on this floor.”

Matt and Toby were left alone with the debris of their morning’s work. Matt was tracing the lines of one of the kitchen god’s statue that every ancient Chinese home would have had by the fire pit. “This is over two thousand years old and it’s been sitting in our basement for almost a hundred years. Look at the loving attention to detail that the artisan took. Most of the statues I’ve seen are sketchy with few extras. This little guy has hair and buttons and some kind of herb in his hand.”

“It’s yarrow.” Ruth’s voice came from the doorway. “Well known for it’s medicinal properties. Most households had some drying in the eaves at all times.”

Toby locked gazes with her while part of his mind remembered watching her dry the herbs from the garden and hang them from hooks in the great beams of the long kitchen. She had to stand on a chair to reach them and Li had promised her that when he was big, he would help her. Her cool touch to his cheek brought him back to the here and now.

“You never got big enough to help.” Her murmur held traces of tears unshed and he caught and held her scarred hand.

“Not your fault, Mama.”

“Destiny can be cruel, little one. I wish yours had been happier.” She sighed and dropped a kiss on his head.

“I was loved my whole life. That’s a pretty good destiny to have.”

“Yes, you were. And are this time as well.” She fingered one of the small carved ivory belt hooks. “Your papa was so proud of this. The dragon was supposed to ensure a long life for its wearer.”

“We have the life we are supposed to have. Not one day more or less.” Mei Ling’s voice joined theirs and Toby gazed up at his friend who was hugging them both.

“Wise child.” Ruth finally smiled.

“Food’s here.” Seth’s voice broke into their conversation. “Shall we eat it at this end of the table? It’s that or the floor.”

The next few moments were chaotic while everyone filled a plate with their favorites. Matt sat beside Toby and waited for him to finish his first few bites before asking his question. “When did you learn Chinese? That’s what the three of you were speaking earlier? Yes?”

Toby took a drink to give himself some time to figure out how to answer his friend. “Ruth’s studied Chinese all her life. She’s the reason I learned what I have. Meeting Mei Ling my first year of college just gave me more incentive to practice my language skills. I’ve always been fascinated by the stories Ruth told me of ancient China. It’s one of the reasons I was so excited when we found the crates.”

“Matt, you can’t know how excited I was when Toby came home and told me of the chance there might be artifacts from Professor Turner’s expedition.” Ruth leaned forward and smiled at Matt. “Then when Seth said he was related to Silas Griffin, well, you can just imagine how I felt.”

“When Seth called me, I just couldn’t wait for the Director to get back from that conference he’s at in Seattle.” Marag smiled at the graduate student. “We’re so lucky you were willing to help us out, Matt.”

He blushed and stammered a disjointed reply at how glad he was to help. Toby breathed a sigh of relief, the question had been so neatly deflected. It was disconcerting to find that he’d been speaking Chinese again without realizing it. He promised himself a long talk with Mei Ling in the very near future.

“Is there enough for a poor starving doctor?” Sam’s voice came from the boardroom door.

Seth was on his feet instantly and Toby watched them come together like steel to a magnet even though they kept from physically touching. Now, he could see what Mei Ling had meant by thunder and lightning. In that first moment, Toby would have bet they’d forgotten everyone else in the room. He happened to look at Marag and he caught her sending them a tenderly amused smile.

“Of course there is, Sam. Hi, I’m Marag, Seth’s cousin. And it is a great pleasure to meet you.” She took his hand and held on to it with both of hers. “He’s told me so much about you you feel like family already.”

Sam blushed and shyly smiled at her. “Thank you, Marag. We must sit down so you can tell me exactly what he’s told you.”

“Only good things, love.” She shot Seth a wicked look and he covered his eyes with his hand. Then she took care of introducing Matt to him and they all sat down to finish eating.

The next two crates took more time because at some point, water had gotten into one and some of the clay had begun to disintegrate. They went slowly and carefully while piecing several shards together like the three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle they were. It all took time and Toby could feel Ruth’s patience begin to fray at the edges. When they stopped for a break about four, they’d just opened the last crate only to find what appeared to be a ledger on top of the straw as if placed there at the last moment.

Matt sat down with it while the others stretched and poured coffee from the coffee maker on the sideboard. “Oh wow, guys! It’s Professor Turner’s logbook. This should have been taken out when the crates first arrived. Even if they didn’t have time to process it, they should have at least put this into the archives. There are scholars who’d give their diplomas to have a written history of an early archaeologist and his dig.”

“Wonderful. Is it readable?” Marag asked.

“Yes. Thank God it wasn’t in the one that got wet. Oh man, this is too cool!” Matt never even looked up from his reading. 

The others left him to it while they munched on oatmeal cookies that Julie had sent with them. Ruth’s hand was trembling with fatigue and Toby realized that it was her first day out since she’d gotten pneumonia. He watched her rub her temple with her good hand and close her eye against the bright lights they’d turned on when dusk fell.

“Hey, there’s all kinds of neat geological specimens in this leather sample case.” Mei Ling had gone back to the last crate and brushed aside the straw from the brown leather object on top. Lifting it gently, she brought it over to the table and began to take out each specimen.

“It says here that he thought some of the petrified wood and rock samples might be used to help date the site. He’d been digging for two weeks and he was already pretty sure it wasn’t the capitol city of Emperor Shi Huangdi.” Matt still hadn’t looked up from the ledger he was reading.

“That’s it. You know he could be right about helping to date the site.” Mei Ling chattered while putting the case onto the chair seat below table height. “I wonder what kind of stone that one is. It’s awfully pretty.”

Toby watched Mei Ling distract the others while Ruth’s hand slipped under the leather flap and groped for whatever his friend had not displayed on the table. Her eye closed and her head drooped for a brief moment then she was sitting up straight again. She pointed to one of the shards with her left hand and asked a question while her right hand came out of the bag and immediately went into her cardigan sweater pocket.

Mission accomplished. Now what?

*****************


	11. Dream Three

_I stood on a plateau high above the world._

_Snow everywhere I looked._

_Ice shivered beneath my feet._

_White clouds mixed with white snow._

_No horizon line to see._

_No sound to hear._

_No sensation of heat or cold._

_Nothing to break the stillness._

_I was waiting for someone or something but I didn’t know what._

_Then I felt a breeze tease my cheek, pluck at my hair and caress my body._

_I closed my eyes to try and figure out from which direction it was coming._

_Then I heard a sigh from the distance that gained in intensity until it roared across the landscape like a freight train coming straight for me._

_Opening my eyes, I saw a glittering column of snow and ice spin across the plateau gaining it width until it filled my horizon._

_There was no where to go and no way to hide so I stood firm and watched it cross the ice field towards me. I already knew it was a dream since I’d been here before night after night in the months I spent recuperating from the explosion._

_The Goddess had a bit of an exhibitionist streak._

_“I heard that.” The column of ice and snow spoke._

_“I know, Mother. The crystal is mine again.”_

_“Time to move on, little one.”_

_“Yes, Ma’am. Please don’t allow the others to follow me. I beg you to let me be your only messenger.”_

_Icy wind stroked my cheek. “They will do what they must just as you will follow your destiny.”_

_I went to my knees. “I am your Avatar, Mother but I am also a sister and mother. Please let this meeting be between the Ikiiri and me alone.”_

_“My dearest daughter, I do not control my children’s actions. You well know your free will is what sets you apart from my other creations. What will be will be.”_

_“Yes, Mother.” I didn’t agree but I did understand._

_“So many times you have gone to battle for me and yet you still don’t listen.”_

_Her sigh would have done any mother proud. “Free will, Mother?”_

_“Exactly. Now go and practice with your latest element.”_

_“Yes, Mother.” There were times she could be so aggravating._

_“I heard that, young lady. Don’t tempt me.”_

_“No, Mother.” I kept my thoughts calm and steady._

_“I love you, little one.”_

_“I love you too, Mother.” The column wrapped itself around me in a hug then drew away to spin off into the distance._

************************


	12. Questions

The Wolf poured another drink and contemplated the amber liquid before taking a small sip. It was four o’clock and the phone call he’d gotten that morning had set that time for their meeting. He had watchers at front and back to keep him from being surprised. 

He really hated surprises.

They tended to be bad for business. And business had been very good lately. So, why was he waiting here for trouble to walk in the door? Chuckling under his breath, he admitted the truth to himself. Business is good but boring and she brings danger with her. Besides knowing about the odd dreams, she sees right into my secret heart. The secret I never let into the light of day.

He shook himself free of the wistful thoughts and went to break up the fight brewing over by the pool tables. They’d been drinking steadily for the last two hours and were at the belligerent stage. He banged their heads together and told them to drink the coffee that Melissa was bringing over.

“You finish the pot then we’ll see about solving your dispute.” He growled at them and they both nodded hastily.

Heading back to the bar, he saw the old derelict standing hesitantly inside the door. “Hey, Joe, come on in.”

The old man shuffled in and sat down gingerly on the stool in front of the bar. His head bobbed in greeting and his eyes went longingly to the bottles standing behind the counter but he looked away and focused on him. “She’s coming, Wolf. They’re finishing up at the museum then She said She’d give them the slip and come here.”

Wolf could hear the capitol letters in his voice when he spoke of her. But then, he tended to do that himself. “Good news, Joe. How about a cup of coffee while we wait?”

He pulled his eyes back again from the bottles and nodded. “Thanks, Wolf. It’s getting colder and something warm would be real nice.”

“Weather man said it might snow tonight.” Wolf poured some pretzels into bowls and put them out on the counter; making sure one was right by Joe’s trembling hand. “Try them, Joe. I need to know if they’ve gone stale on me.”

He took one obediently and chewed gingerly. “Nope, taste real good.”

“Good, you get some of those inside you so you’ll be ready when she comes. You never know what she’s going to need us to do.” Wolf nodded solemnly to the old man and watched him straighten up and return his nod.

“Yes, Sir, I’ll be ready.”

Wolf nodded again and began getting ready for the twilight crowd who’d head for The Wolf’s Den as soon as they got off work. Melissa came behind the counter and helped him set up. At 4:30, Colin came in to start his shift and Wolf moved out to his table at the rear of the bar, beckoning Joe to come with him and making sure they had fresh coffee and pretzels.

He almost missed seeing her entrance but a breath of fresh air alerted him and he looked up to see her threading her way through his customers. He and Joe were both on their feet by the time she reached them, smiling the little half smile that always tugged on his heart.

“Good to see you, Wolf. And Joe, I really appreciate you being our go-between. I didn’t think I’d be able to get away until later but something came up and I just . . . slipped around the corner.” Ruth sat down and waved to them to join her. “Wolf, time is growing short. What kind of transportation have you got lined up?”

“There’s a convoy heading north to Canada at midnight and a place for you in the lead truck. My sister’s boy is driving and though I shouldn’t brag, he’s a good boy without a curious bone in his body.”

She chuckled. “That doesn’t sound like anybody in your family, Wolf.”

“Well, we always figured he’d break out when he grew up but he’s 21 now and still hasn’t rebelled. Going to be a real late-bloomer.”

“As long as he doesn’t ask questions until he’s delivered me north. How far is he going?”

“He’s got a shipment for Metagami, Quebec. Once you’re there, a man named St. Julian will take you by dog sled to Chisasibi. That’s where it gets a little iffy.” Wolf pulled out a map and unfolded it for her, tracing the route she’d be taking. “I’ve got a friend with a trawler who’s willing to take you further north but ice is setting in fast and I don’t know how far he’s going to be able to go.”

“I understand. If he can get me as far as Cape Kendall then I’ve got someone there to fly me the rest of the way.” Her eye was focused on the map and Wolf eyed her hesitantly. “The weather is going to be the deciding factor no matter how you go.” 

She raised her head and smiled gently. “The weather won’t be a problem, Wolf.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Wolf didn’t want to think about just how she was going to go about controlling the weather. “Have you got a place to stay until midnight?”

“No, can I bunk with you?” She’d gone back to tracing routes on the map.

“Sure. It would be quieter if we went upstairs now. Besides you need to try on the cold weather gear I got for you.”

“Wolf, you didn’t need to go to all that trouble.” She frowned up at him.

“No, Ma’am, I didn’t but it would sure make me feel better if you’d accept it.” Wolf tried out the quivering bottom lip that Melissa always used on Colin when she wanted to reduce him to a jellied heap.

“Unfair, Wolf. You know I can’t deny the pout.” She laughed at him and shook her head. “All right. You win. Can we go up now?”

“Just what I was going to suggest. Joe, would you like to come with us?”

“Yes, Sir. You might need someone to run an errand.” He split his look between them.

“Good thinking, Joe.” She smiled on him and he brightened up instantly.

Guiding them out the exit, Wolf took an abrupt turn to the left and opened the locked door with his key. The loud music began to slowly fade the higher they went. The stairs twisted three times before they came to a heavy steel door that Wolf unlocked with still another key. It was completely silent in the pale beige foyer. Ruth gave a little sigh and stepped into the wide open loft space that served as Wolf’s home.

“You’ve created such a lovely home, Wolf. The crew downstairs would never believe this place with its high ceilings and gracious antiques.”

“They see the side of me I show them, a tough, tattooed biker with a bad temper.” Wolf grinned at her and went past them to the kitchen area to begin dinner.

“It’s beautiful.” Joe’s hesitant whisper barely reached him. “So clean and warm.”

“Come on in, Joe. Make yourself comfortable while I start cooking.” Wolf beckoned him in and watched out of the corner of his eye while Ruth coaxed him down into the oak rocker near the breakfast bar.

“While you’re cooking, Wolf, I’m going to go on up to the roof to exercise. Half an hour?” She asked and he nodded, watching her disappear up the wrought iron spiral staircase that led to the roof.

Wolf concentrated on the sauce he was preparing while the pasta shells steamed. He knew she liked vegetables so he threw some broccoli into the microwave to thaw. In deference to Joe’s drinking problem, Wolf decided on sparkling mineral water. He noticed that Joe had picked up the book lying open on the table beside his chair and was looking through it.

“Have you read Jung, Joe?”

“I remember reading his Symbols of Transformation in translation, a hundred years ago when I was in college.”

“Did you want to be a psychologist?” Wolf tried not to let his surprise show.

The look Joe sent him told him he hadn’t succeeded.

“After I got my PhD., I was a psychologist for almost fifteen years until the booze took hold and sent me running away from the responsibilities. It’s been years since I thought about that life.” Joe’s diction grew more precise the longer he spoke and he gently stroked the covers of the trade paperback. “How are you enjoying the Mysterium Coniunctionis?”

“I’ve been reading it for the last six months. Picking it up, then putting it down to think about what he’s saying.” Wolf shook his head. “Some of it makes perfect sense then I’ll hit a patch that’s all big words and concepts that I just don’t get.”

Joe’s chuckle took him by surprise. “I couldn’t have put it better myself. Jung always made me think. I had the complete 20 volumes of this series. I always wondered what happened to them after I walked away. My wife probably threw them out or gave them to the library for their ongoing book sale.”

“I’ve got them all but I’ve only read the first thirteen. I figure I’ll have just enough time to finish them before I die.” Wolf stilled his hands and turned his head to the windows, rattling in a sudden gust of wind. “What the hell was that?”

Striding to the street side windows, he looked out into chaos. Dead leaves, papers of all shapes and kinds, an occasional hat and something black swirled by the windows. He counted no less than three whirlwinds spinning down the street, all heading for his brownstone. But instead of blowing out his windows, they rose past him and up to the roof.

“Oh hell!” He dashed across the room and up the spiral staircase, taking them two at a time. But the door wouldn’t open; no matter how much force he put behind his shoulder. “Ruth! Can you hear me?”

The wind howled at higher decibels than the annoying music in the bar ever did. Then in a heartbeat, it was quiet. No sound at all and he tried the doorknob again. It opened instantly and he stepped out onto the tarpaper and gravel roof. Eyes sweeping the available space, he couldn’t see Ruth anywhere.

Then a soft sigh came from above him and he watched wide eyed while she floated slowly down to a landing on the roof in a shower of warm light that spilled from her hands. A warm breeze caressed him gently then slipped away. He felt as if he’d been struck dumb and he watched her eye open. But it was watching something he couldn’t see or hear. Her voice chanted something in warm liquid syllables he felt as if he could almost understand.

“Oh, my lady.” Joe’s hushed whisper sounded from his side. “Don’t waste it on the likes of me.”

“Who deserves it more, Joe? Both of you have helped me beyond all thought and reason. Accept this healing in Her name. She told me to practice and I think she was right. Wind goes where it will. And I don’t have much time to tame it.” 

Then she was looking at the crystal she cradled and the scars on her face faded from angry red to the pink that comes from years of healing. Wolf touched his chest over the lungs that were slowly dying from cancer. She nodded once then slipped what he could now see was a crystal shard into a pouch that hung around her neck.

“Well, I’ve worked up an appetite, how about you guys?” She said cheerfully.

Dinner was a little surreal with a conversation that bounced back and forth between psychology, the Bruins chances of winning more than two games in a row, Jung’s works and the difference between White Snake’s music and the Rolling Stones. She bathed and changed into the cold weather gear Wolf had gotten for her about an hour before she had to leave.

Standing at the side of the big rig that was being gassed for the long trip, they exchanged hugs. She looked in Joe’s eyes for a long minute. “Stay healthy, Joe. I need you to live and grow strong enough to face the past head-on. I think that Wolf here would be amenable to taking on a partner who’s not afraid of hard work.”

Then she turned to Wolf and standing on tiptoe, brushed a kiss across his lips. “Let yourself love again, Simon. You have such a capacity for love. Let it free instead of chaining it inside. You’ll have the time to love, I promise.”

Stepping back, she let Wolf help her up into the tall cab. Rolling down the window, she smiled down at them. “Take care of each other. If the Goddess wills, I’ll come back to check on you.”

Then the truck pulled out and headed north, leaving them standing in the cold yard.

*************** 

Wolf wiped down the bar and stretched to his full height. “Hey, Joe, we about ready to lock up?”

“Almost. I just need to finish mopping up the mess in the corner. I wish they’d made it to the restroom before chucking it all up.” Joe’s voice was plaintive and Wolf laughed. 

“I’ll just turn out the lights then.” Wolf smiled contentedly and thought over the last week while he turned off the neon lights in the front window. They’d settled in gingerly together with Joe sleeping on the sofa bed and both of them working in the bar in the evening. Joe was still sober and spent most of his time reading from Wolf’s collection of books. He’d accepted some new clothes in lieu of wages for the first week but Wolf rather thought he was looking forward to his first paycheck.

The sound of the bell above the front door broke into his reverie. “I’m sorry but we’re closed.”

“We’re looking for someone.” The voice belonged to a tall man with dark circles under his eyes. “Joe!”

“Doctor Hamilton.” Joe came out from the corner with his broom clutched in his worn hands. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Joe, have you seen her? Do you know where she is?” 

Wolf was busy eyeing the second man who stood so quietly just behind the doctor. He looked dangerous with a gaze that moved over the bar with assessing eyes. The same way Wolf would in a new place, checking out exits, available weapons and where everyone stood.

“She’s moved on, Doctor Sam. Once she got the crystal, she had to get moving. There isn’t much time, she said.” Joe shook his head.

The quiet one spoke next. “Do you know where she was going?”

Ah, the voice of command, it brought back memories of the Corps and Wolf smiled. “Who wants to know?”

Those green eyes were like lasers drilling into him. “Colonel Seth Griffin. And you are?”

“Wolf. Formerly Captain Simon Hughes. I served my time and took early retirement. And the question is still on the table. Why should we tell you?”

“She’s not well. I just need to know that she’s all right.” The tall slender one’s hand trembled as he shakily ran it through his brown hair.

“She used the crystal to heal herself and us. So you don’t have to worry.” Joe’s voice was kind and Wolf watched the doctor’s shoulders slump.

“She’s gone north, hasn’t she? She’s going to fight the Ikiiri alone because she’s afraid to risk any of us.”

“Sam, you know how much it hurt her to find out that you and I died even though she tried to protect us.” The Marine had a hand on the others shoulder.

“Which life did you share with her?” Wolf came out from behind the bar and over to the door to flip the lock. “Why don’t we go upstairs and be comfortable while we talk?”

Green Eyes assessed him and nodded slowly. Wolf led the way with Joe right behind him and the doctor and his Marine hard on his heels. He could see the Marine taking it all in while the doctor spied the black backpack on the end table.

“She was here?” He reached out and held it like a talisman against his chest.

“Sit down, Doctor. We’ll tell you what we know in exchange for your side of the story.” Wolf proposed and watched the Colonel set the Doctor down on the sofa before joining him.

“Agreed. We’ll start, shall we?” The Colonel sat back while his young partner began to spill out their story.

Wolf listened carefully, nodding when a part of their story explained something he knew. Joe chimed in a couple of times but mostly the Doctor talked until he got to the dreams. Then the Colonel took over, explaining their shared life in ancient Greece and what they’d been able to extrapolate from their ancient selves memories with modern minds.

“So, that was it. The Ikiiri are aliens.” Wolf sat back and thought hard about his own memories. “We thought they were demons come to test our King and our Priestesses. Joe and I were both from her first life. I was the . . . damn it there’s no easy way to say it. I was the High Priestess Illyan.” He glared at them, daring them to make something of it.

“And I was Captain Ancyra of the King’s Guard. We thought it a test from the gods for our King and so we stood back when the great ship landed to let King Orion face them with the Priestess Illura. She was just a little slip of a thing with her long dark hair falling to her hips and the red moon crescent on her forehead, holding the great sword of crystal before her like a cross. They both wore white tunics and Orion stood by her side, tall and straight. His blond hair bound by the silver torque of the kingdom, he looked quite kingly, standing there on the golden sands of the harbor.” Joe’s voice trailed away.

“What happened?” The doctor was leaning forward now, his jaw tense and his hands clasped in a white knuckle grip.

Wolf continued the story. “They talked but we could not hear them. There was a haze over them that appeared when the great ship’s door opened. We could not see through it to see what the Ikiiri looked like but we could still see the King and Illura. Then from out of nowhere, a long thing blade pierced straight through Orion, picking him up and throwing him at our feet. I reached him in time to see him die, the blood pouring out of the jagged wound, soaking into the sand.”

“Illura gave a great cry and held the sword up before her, calling on the Goddess for vengeance. The ground began to tremble and from out of nowhere came a great wave of water that crashed over the ship and our island.” Joe said sadly. “Atlantis sank that day and everyone on the island was killed. I know Ruth felt she was to blame for not protecting us.”

“It was the same in our lives and the life she shared with my little brother.” Sam sat back and huddled in on himself, both arms wrapped around him as if he was cold.

The Colonel gave up his attempt to keep his hands to himself and drew the young man into his arms. Joe smiled at them and Wolf got up to make some coffee. It looked like it was going to be a late night. The soothing murmurs from the sofa made him smile. It looked like Ruth was still fixing things even though she wasn’t here.

Joe showed the doctor where the bathroom was and the Colonel came over to perch on one of the breakfast barstools. “You don’t seem surprised, Wolf.”

“Ruth believed very strongly that we’re all wandering around looking for the other half of our soul’s. I’d bet money that Toby . . . is that right?” Wolf looked a question to the Colonel.

“Call me, Seth. It’ll be easier in the long run. Yes, Sam’s younger brother is Toby. And yes, he’s in love with Mei Ling. They were brothers in ancient China. So you aren’t the only one to change from one sex to the other.” Seth smiled.

“Let me tell you, it felt damn weird dreaming about being a woman, let alone a celibate priestess.” Wolf snorted.

“The mind boggles.” Seth was trying not to laugh and Wolf threw in the towel and let his own laughter free.

A warbling sound came at the same time Joe and Sam reappeared. Seth pulled out a cell phone and answered it.

“Marag . . . yes, we found Joe . . . what do you mean . . . okay, we’ll be home soon . . . I know, honey . . . we’re fine and we’ll be home as soon as we can.” Seth was frowning as he hung up. “She says there’s something on CNN about a space anomaly.”

Wolf picked up the remote and turned on the TV. With a click, an anchorman appeared in front of a star map. “To recap the story of the hour, a space anomaly has appeared just outside of Mars orbit. It’s heading towards Earth and should reach us in just about forty eight hours.”

He tried a smile but they could see the beads of perspiration on his forehead. “NASA has no comment at this time but word has come from the White House that they’re working on figuring out just what the anomaly is and where it came from. Maybe it’s those little green Martians coming to visit. Ha-ha. More now from Professor White of the Bensonville Observatory just outside of Atlanta.”

Wolf hit the mute button and cleared his throat. “Well, there’s our time limit. Now what are we going to do about it?”

“I know she doesn’t want us to go with her because she’s determined to go it alone. But that’s a sure way to get herself killed.” Sam sat down heavily on the barstool next to Seth’s.

“She’s lived it three times already. She may know best.” Seth sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

“But she’s got a blind spot she may not realize.” Joe said slowly then blushed when all their eyes came to him.

“What do you mean, Joe?” Wolf poured the coffee and got it handed around while Joe was thinking.

“Each time she fights, it’s for something bigger than herself. The first time it was a command from her Goddess to save her people.”

“But in Crete, she was the queen and once again fighting for her people. But ‘people’ on a smaller scale. A kingdom scale.” Seth mused.

“China was smaller yet. She was fighting for her family and home. Most specifically her children.” Sam sat upright and caught Joe’s eyes.

“This time she steered clear of any emotional entanglements so she wouldn’t hurt anyone when she died. She said that she was a total orphan. So if she’s just going out there to fight without someone to fight for, can she win?” Joe finished quietly

They looked at each other somberly.

“Well, I know the route she was taking when she headed north.” Wolf headed for the map on the dining room table.

“She’s going to use the element of Air this time. Remember her practicing on the roof?” Joe joined him.

“So, if we can get a feed from the National Weather Service, we should be able to track any wind anomalies and pinpoint where she’s been. I expect she kept practicing.” Sam thought aloud, joining them at the table.

“A two pronged approach. The scientists are probably tracking the Ikiiri ship trajectory to see where it’s going to land.” Seth’s voice was grim. “I may be able to find out what they discover.”

“Well, we’re just going to have to work harder so we get there first.” Sam said decisively.

“We can try.” Wolf shook his head. “It’s going to take a small miracle.”

Joe smiled shyly. “The Goddess got Ruth this far. Maybe She’s planning a little surprise or two.”

The wind rattled the windows as if in answer and Wolf shivered once before concentrating his mind on the logistics of Arctic travel in winter. For once, he was hoping that a deity he’d never believed in before would be willing to take a hand in his life. 

This time around.

*********************


	13. Threads

Sam drowsed in the early morning light. He was almost too warm and he tried to move away from the furnace behind him only to be stopped by the arm cuddling him. For a moment he didn’t know why he was so restrained then his eyes popped open and he slowly turned over to confront his bedmate. Seth was still asleep, his hair every which way and his cheek creased by the pillow.

He looked beautiful and Sam lay in their bed, giving thanks for finally achieving at least a part of his fantasy. He thought back over the strange evening spent in a loft over a bar and the odd men to whom Ruth had gone for help in her journey. But he wasn’t going to think about her now, not when he was finally in bed with the man who’d stolen his heart so many months before.

Everyone in the family knew they were together now, except for the absent Peter. Dad will come around eventually. I think it’s more the age thing than the male part. At least I hope that’s it. He watched the morning sun creep over the dark green comforter then across Seth’s arm where it lay in unconscious possession of Sam.

Sam stroked the bare arm that lay against his skin. Seth was tan everywhere and the contrast between their skin tones was quite evident. The dark hair on his arm was soft and almost silky in contrast to the heavy beard that had grown overnight. Sam lay and watched Seth sleeping and for the first time in a very long time, he was truly content with his life.

There were challenges to come but he would have someone with whom to face them. The last week had been a nightmare of trying to track down the stranger, going to bar after bar, homeless shelters and alleys to try and find Joe. Sam had been certain that he was the key and Seth had accepted his reasoning, backing him up without complaint against all comers. 

Now they knew she’d been following a plan all along, Sam felt the driving urgency fade into concern. They’d come back to Marag’s late last night, telling her what they knew then collapsing in her guestroom and falling instantly to sleep. He’d barely had enough energy to strip off his clothes or even ogle Seth’s own striptease before he’d fallen fathoms deep. But now, he had the time to just look his fill and touch him without worrying if someone would notice and make a comment.

He liked the laugh lines that radiated out from Seth’s eyes and the way his dark bushy eyebrows peaked above them. The straight nose was classic Celt as were the high cheekbones. His fingers gently traced a path from the eyebrow down the cheek to the cleft chin below those soft lips that drew him like a magnet. They’d shared . . . he paused to count . . . fourteen kisses and almost as many hugs but now he wanted . . .

More.

Sam smiled at his sleeping lover. He knew Seth was hesitant to take it farther because he thought Sam was still unsure of their path. But if last night had taught him anything, it had taught him that everyone was responsible for themselves. He cared for Ruth deeply and not just as a ghost of the Queen he’d known so many millennium ago. But she had chosen the path she walked with her eyes wide open. He might disagree with her choice but not with her right to make it.

His choice was lying beside him half turned towards him and his arm heavy against his stomach. And it was time to do something about him. Grinning, he let his fingers trail over Seth’s lips. They twitched, then a pink tongue came out and licked them. He shivered and moved a little closer.

“Hm-m-m, salty Sam. My favorite.” Seth’s husky murmur poured over his ears like golden honey. “Good morning.”

“So far, it’s been excellent. I’ve never awakened with a man in my bed before but I think it might be habit forming.” Sam rolled a little closer and Seth pulled him in.

A lazy kiss . . . then another and Sam was seriously thinking of pouncing when a knock at the door and a cheery voice interrupted them.

“Guys, you have a visitor, not that I’m complaining, you understand. It’s been years since I’ve had someone with this much testosterone in my kitchen. So, take your time while I work my wicked wiles on him. Seth, you keep bringing home such interesting people.”

“We’re awake, Marag. Is his name, Wolf?”

“Yes and he’s yummy so take a long hot shower while I make him breakfast.” Marag’s laughter was carefree. “Of course, you should conserve water and shower together.”

“Go, Marag. We’re big boys and can take of ourselves.” Seth grinned at their unseen wake-up caller.

“Just trying to help, sweetie. See you later.” 

“So thoughtful, my cousin.” Seth pushed back the covers and stretched all over while Sam watched wide-eyed at the expanse of flesh and muscle.

“She’s right, we should share.” Sam let his curious hand glide over the stretched ribs down to the taut stomach. 

Seth caught his hand before it could stray into the danger zone and brought it to his lips. “Are you ready for that? I may not be able to control myself once I see you wet.”

“Good.” Sam leaned up and kissed him lightly. “It’s time to go a little further.”

“You’re sure?” Seth looked at him uncertainly.

Sam smiled and pulled away, rising from the bed and walking across the room to the door of the adjoining bathroom. He looked over his shoulder in time to catch Seth’s hungry look. “Coming?”

“I certainly hope so.” Seth said, rolling out of bed and joining him. “Shave first then shower. I don’t want to mark that beautiful skin of yours.”

**************** 

It was almost a half an hour later when they strolled into the kitchen, shaved and squeaky-clean. Sam wondered if his smile would give them away but Wolf appeared too distracted to notice anyone other than Marag. She was wearing a long flowing purple caftan covered with white embroidery in intricate Celtic patterns. Her red hair cascaded down her back in wild curls and her green eyes were sultry as she drank a cup of tea with the big man sitting uneasily at the breakfast nook.

Wolf nodded at them his eyes still on Marag. “I linked into the satellite feed for NOAA and checked on the Sea Wind’s readings.”

“Would you like to decode that for us?” Seth grabbed the coffeepot and poured more coffee for all of them while Marag set plates in front of them with fresh fruit and a large muffin, still steaming from the oven.

“Sorry.” Wolf dragged his eyes from Marag with a little shake of his head and a sheepish grin, finally making eye contact with them. “Sea Winds is the name for the scatterometer they installed on Japan’s Advanced Earth Observing Satellite.”

“What does the scatter-thing do?” Marag joined them, sitting between Seth and Wolf.

“It measures wind speed and direction over the world’s oceans. The first one launched disappeared in 1997 so they launched another one in 1999. NOAA . . . sorry, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses it for lots of things but primarily for the tracking of climate changes. The scatterometer really belongs to NASA but it’s used mainly by the weather boffins who try to predict the weather.”

Sam had to swallow first. “I’ll bet the commercial shipping firms use it too.”

Wolf nodded. “It’s only one of the tools they use to try and predict the weather, the ocean currents and all kinds of other things.”

“The hole in the ozone.” Marag looked up into Wolf’s craggy face. “Isn’t that how they’re measuring it?”

He smiled. “They use a spectrometer for that but it’s on the same satellite. In conjunction with NASA’s Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer that is in a different orbit, they pretty much map the world, both land and ocean. Of course, they’re going for lengthy records so they can compare the data over time.”

“But it can be used for short-term pictures as well?” Seth had finished his fruit and was tearing the muffin into small pieces.

“Yes, it flew over the Arctic Circle at 0300 this morning and will be again at 1400. I think we may have a position for her. The readings are off the scale for a single area. There’s a low pressure zone where it should be high pressure.” Wolf looked down at his plate and began drawing imaginary circles in the crumbs. “I kind of hope I’m wrong and I’m misreading the data. But if I’m not, she’s gone above the 75th parallel almost to the 80th. And there is one hell of a storm brewing.”

“That doesn’t mean anything to me, Simon.” Marag looked at him in dismay.

“Boston is a little above the 42nd parallel. It means she’s gone so far north that she’s pretty much run out of land. There’s a little island named Meighen up there and I think that’s where she’s gone. It’s equidistant from Alaska and Greenland so the fallout from whatever she’s going to do shouldn’t do too much damage to either of them.” Wolf shook his head. 

“It also means that getting to her in time is going to be difficult.” Seth’s face was grim. “There’s a joint military exercise going on up there called Northern Quest on Victoria Island. If we contacted them, they might be able to get some troops up there in time.”

“Northern Quest?” Sam laid down his fork and shivered.

“What’s wrong?” Seth’s warm hand covered his.

“Peter’s unit is up there, coordinating with the Canadian Land Forces Command. They’re flying out of Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage.”

“There’s something about your family that’s determined to be in on this. What are the odds that all three of you shared lives with her?” Seth shook his head.

“’There are no odds. Only actions when She’s involved.’ Ruth said that when I asked her if she thought Peter might be related too.” Sam sighed, turning his hand over and squeezing Seth’s. “I hope that Goddess of hers knows what She’s doing.”

“What She is doing is making sure Ruth has someone to fight for.” Marag smiled gently. “Ruth is so locked into this task, she has blinders on. I can’t imagine waking up and suddenly having four distinct personalities and lives all fighting for space in my brain. But she did and right now she’s focused on the end result to the exclusion of all else. She knows she has to fight the Ikiiri, save the Earth and die.”

“And there may be another way she hasn’t seen because she’s so focused.” Wolf looked approvingly at the woman by his side.

“We’ve been fighting the Ikiiri for six thousand years. I wonder if any one has asked them what they want from Earth.” Sam mused. “Why they keep coming back?”

“First things first.” Seth squeezed his hand then let it go to finish eating. “We need to know if the ship is headed in that direction.”

Wolf finished his coffee and sat back. “It is. NASA had a spokesman fending off questions this morning. Every channel in the world is tracking them and the speculations are crazy.”

“We need to be there when they reach Earth. How do we do it?” Sam asked, shivering a little at the thought of the coming confrontation.

“There’s not much info on Meighen’s Island. But the ice pack is dense at this time. We could take up a sea plane with skis once we’re in the general vicinity but we’ll need something really fast to get near.” Wolf shrugged. “If the military is already on Victoria Island then we should probably head there first. Do they have a landing field that can handle a jet or is your brother’s unit just providing air cover for the exercise and returning to the base every night?”

“I’ll take care of getting us there. And there is a strip on Victoria that will take the aircraft we’ll be in. What about cold weather gear?” Seth got up and headed for the phone.

“I can get us what we need.” Wolf nodded.

“I’ll put together the medical supplies that we, hopefully, won’t need.” Sam offered.

“I’ll take care of our provisions.” Marag said calmly.

“No way are you going, Marag.” Seth turned from the wall phone to glare at his cousin.

“Don’t be sexist, sweetie. Ruth is going to need all of her family.” She spoke calmly. “Just because it may be dangerous doesn’t mean that the weaker sex shouldn’t go.”

“I’ll get gear in your size.” Wolf made a note to himself in the notebook he’d pulled from a pocket. “Joe says he has to go as well, so there’s five of us.”

“Seven.” Toby’s voice came from the kitchen door.

“Good morning, everyone. Thanks for calling us, Marag.” Mei Ling smiled at everyone, pulling off her gloves and shoving them into her coat pocket.

“No.” Sam was on his feet. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Sam, we have to go. Sure there’s danger but life is dangerous. And how safe will we be if Ruth loses and the Ikiiri take over the Earth?” Toby crossed the kitchen and hugged his brother.

“We were drawn to her for a reason. Perhaps the Goddess is moving us around like pieces on a game board and what Her purpose is, we don’t know.” Mei Ling poured a cup of tea and sat down by Marag. “But I trust Ruth and if there’s a way to face the Ikiiri and not die, then she will find the answer.”

“But only if we back her into a corner and give her hostages to protect.” Wolf pointed out quietly. “She has more power than she realizes. But I think she’s tired. It’s time we gave her back a little of the energy she’s been giving to us.”

Sam held on to his little brother and tried to think of a reason to leave him behind. But nothing came. Meeting Seth’s eyes, he saw acceptance and pain in the bright green gaze. “I understand, Toby. I hate it but I do understand.”

“Besides, if we’re going to meet up with Peter, you’re going to need all the help you can get.” Toby smiled wryly and let go of Sam with a last squeeze to his shoulder. “You know how . . . stubborn he can be.”

“Ha! He’s worse than Ruth.” Sam grimaced and crossed to Seth who was still using the phone. Sliding an arm around the trim waist, he leaned against his lover and soaked up the warmth.

Seth slid his arm around his shoulders and squeezed lightly. “It will take us about two hours to get there. Hang the fuel tanks on both wings and make sure she’s gassed and preflighted by 0930. And Gunnie . . . not a word to anyone . . . yeah, I know. Just say the orders are from me and I’ll be inspecting personally . . .” he smiled a little “I’ll explain when I get there . . . Would I lie to you?”

Sam heard the explosive laugh of Seth’s second in command and he shared Seth’s grin. “Never mind that now, Gunnie. Just expect us when you see us. Bye.”

“I’ll need to get on the road to get the gear ready. Joe’s at the warehouse right now, going through the cold weather supplies.” Wolf stood and nodded at his hostess.

“Could you use some help?” Toby stood and eyed the tall man dressed mainly in denim and leather.

“Sure. We can introduce ourselves while we work.” Wolf started for the back door, joined by Toby and Mei Ling.

“Come to Hangar 6 when you’ve got the gear loaded. I’ll leave word at the main gate to let you through.” Seth told them. “Four of you?”

Wolf nodded and held the door for his new partners. “Thanks for breakfast, Ma’am.”

“You are entirely welcome, Simon. Next time, let’s see about having it with just the two of us.” Marag’s voice was sultry and Sam watched Wolf blush to the tips of his ears before escaping out the back.

“You’re an evil woman, Marag but I like that.” Seth wrapped his other arm around Sam. “Finally time is it?”

Green eyes met green eyes and she nodded. “I’ve mourned for eight years now. I loved Sebastian with all my heart and his death almost killed me. If I hadn’t had young Jimmy to care for, I don’t know what I would have done. But he’s grown up, joined the Navy and after a year on my own, I thought I might be ready to test the waters. It’s why I’m on so many boards. Getting out and working for causes I believe in has the added benefit of meeting people with like minds.”

“But nothing clicked until now?” Sam was fascinated with the possibilities.

“When he walked through that door, I felt as if a light had come on in a dark room. It’s a good thing you’d told me about him so I could answer his question semi-coherently. Part of my mind was focused on what the neighbors were going to say about the biker who came for breakfast and the primitive part of my brain was speculating on how best to trip him into my bed.” Marag sighed and began opening the freezer to pull out food.

Seth was shaking with laughter. “Honey, I know exactly what you mean. You just explained what I felt when I walked in and found Sam in my bed.”

Sam blushed and ducked his head in embarrassment. “I was so confused, I didn’t know what I was feeling.”

“But you know now?” Seth sounded just a touch unsure and Sam shook his head, strengthening his grip on him.

“I love you and when this is over, we’re going to explore all the fun things that go along with that.” He said determinedly. 

“Yes, we are. But for now, I need to get to the base so I can use a secure line to call in some favors. And you need to help Marag with the supplies and bring her with you.” Seth leaned in and took a deep breath. “I think I’m addicted to your smell.”

Sam buried his head in the curve between Seth’s shoulder and throat. “Me too. I hate to be away from you.”

“I know. But there’s so much to do and so little time.” Seth hugged him tight then stepped away to an arm’s length, staring at him as if memorizing him. “Hurry and come to the base.”

Sam nodded, afraid to trust his voice. Seth pulled him close and kissed him gently. They stood like that for a long moment then he left abruptly, leaving Sam feeling as if the room had suddenly grown cold. Without another word, he began helping Marag assemble the supplies they would need on their trip. They worked well together, making sandwiches, thawing out cookies, gathering fruit that could be eaten easily and filling thermoses with a variety of cold and hot beverages.

In an hour they were ready. Marag had changed into a sturdy outfit of denim, silk and wool. They loaded Sam’s old blue Chevy with the packed milk crates and began the long drive to the base. While they drove, Sam listened to Marag reminisce about growing up with her cousins. He treasured the stories about a young Seth and all the scrapes he’d gotten them into and out of.

The base was practically empty when they got there. The security guard at the main gate looked at Sam’s ID and gazed at them with a curious eye. “Your brother and the others came through just a few minutes ago, Captain Hamilton. The Colonel said to go on to Hanger 6 because he’d already raided your office.”

Sam ignored the faint hint of a question and smiled. “Thanks. This car and the truck my brother came in may be parked in the lot for a while. Make a note to tell the other shifts so nobody gets excited.”

“Yes, sir.” He stepped back and waved them on through, following them with his eyes before hitting the button that closed the gate again.

Sam drove along the base road towards the huge hangars that clustered by the long runways that stretched out into the countryside. Spotting the truck at the last hangar, he pulled in and parked beside it. Toby and Mei Ling met them and between the four of them, they hauled the crates into the hangar.

Seth was on his cell phone and he waved them on towards the gleaming gray jet that sat on the concrete floor in front of the still closed hangar doors. Wolf hurried over to relieve Marag of her crates. He introduced her to Joe who just smiled and nodded shyly.

Everything fit. Barely. Sam sighed and nudged his crate just a hair further in so he could squeeze out of the way while Gunnie stretched the cargo net securely around them and fastened the cargo hooks into the floor rings. Heading out to the hangar floor, he looked for the others.

Marag and Wolf were sitting on the bright yellow tug watching Seth hold onto his temper by a thread. Toby was in the crew chief’s office using the phone and he beckoned to Sam. Curious, he made his way over, detouring by Seth so he could catch his eye and smile at him. Seth just made a face and kept on trying to break into the diatribe coming at him through the phone. “General . . . General . . . Damn it, Harry, would you let me finish?”

Sam snickered and walked on into the office.

“Mom, I love you but I have to do this. Please understand . . .” Toby’s voice betrayed his frustration.

Taking the phone from his hand, Sam took a deep breath and spoke to his mother. “Mom, its Sam.”

“Thank God. Sam, tell him it’s too dangerous. I don’t want either of you anywhere near her.”

“Mom, we chose to do this. It’s my duty to protect my country from foreign invaders and these are about as foreign as you can get.”

“There is nothing humorous about this, Sam. She’s gotten you both killed once already.” Julie’s voice shook.

“I know it, Mom, but she’s alone, fighting an enemy that threatens all of Earth. There are no safe places now. Peter’s already the closest one of us and he doesn’t know what’s going on. He’s in as much danger as we are, probably more.”

“She’s taken all of you then.” Julie was weeping now.

“Mom, we are your sons and we love you with all our hearts. But you taught us what’s really important in life, family and love. You and Dad are the best examples I know of lovers who created a family overflowing with love. Please understand, we have to do this.” Sam gripped the phone. “I promise you, we will come back.”

“Son, its Dad. Take care of yourselves and come home. No matter what happens, we love you and we want you and Toby to remember that.” His voice shook.

“Dad, I’m sorry if I . . . disappointed you.” Sam faltered.

“Nonsense, Sam. You surprised me but you’ve never disappointed me. I love you and you need to come back so I can tell your significant other, welcome to the family.”

“Thanks, Dad. Here’s Toby.” Sam handed off the phone to his brother while trying to keep from crying. Then Seth was holding him and rubbing his back in soothing circles that calmed him. Looking up into concerned green eyes, he tried a smile. “Dad says, welcome to the family.”

Seth returned the smile. “It’s a good thing since I may soon be out of a job. The General was not excited about us borrowing his favorite jet. We need to get going before he decides to come down and go with us.”

“Let’s leave now. There isn’t room for another person.” Sam rubbed his eyes and turned around to check on Toby. Mei Ling was holding him fiercely and the phone receiver was back on the hook. Leaving them alone, he and Seth rejoined the others.

Gunnie was arguing that he should go along but Seth vetoed him, citing lack of space and the need for him to get them airborne. In a moment more, Toby and Mei Ling joined them and their goodbyes were said quickly. Seth took the pilot’s seat and Sam joined him in the cockpit while the others buckled in the cabin.

The hangar doors rolled slowly open then Gunnie towed them out onto the concrete apron that skirted the hangar and to the taxi way for their last preflight checks. Another fifteen minutes passed while Seth talked to the tower and Gunnie checked their exterior to make sure everything was air worthy.

Then they had clearance and they taxied to the end of the runway, took a few last minute readings then began to move down the runway, lifting lightly into the air and climbing steadily through the winter clouds.

“Next stop, Victoria Island.” Seth announced over the intercom, taking Sam’s hand in his and smiling at him.

Sam returned the handclasp, saying a quick prayer for a safe trip. 

Hang on, Ruth. Whether you want us or not, we’re on our way.

*******************


	14. Dream Four

_I stood on top of the world among the ice and snow, looking for something but I wasn’t sure what. I wasn’t cold even though I stood on an ice flow and the wind was blowing to cyclone proportions all around me yet I never felt a breeze. The snow cleared for a brief moment and I saw a polar bear walking towards me._

_For a moment, it morphed into a woman then back again to the great white bear._

_“Come.” The large silver eyes were hypnotizing._

_It never occurred to me polar bears don’t generally speak and I simply followed her into the blinding snow. I still wasn’t cold and a thought was trying to get through to me but I ignored everything but the bear beside me. My hand was on her head and her fur was soft beneath my fingers. Somehow, I knew she wanted her ears rubbed so I obliged._

_Even over the blasting wind I could hear her rumbling purr. Then an opening in the snow appeared and we were descending into a long tunnel of blue green ice. It must have been big because we were still walking side by side. She led me deep beneath the freezing surface until I heard humming._

_We stopped at the entrance of a cavern just big enough to hold another polar bear, two cubs and a woman dressed simply in black jeans and a blue turtleneck. That didn’t seem any stranger to me than the rest of this weird dream did. Yeah, I knew I was dreaming but I was too curious to wake myself up._

_The cubs and the woman were playing while Mom watched them with an indulgent smile in her dark eyes. The woman was badly scarred and I couldn’t tell how old she was although her buzz cut was as white as the fur on the two small bears tumbling with her on the ice floor._

_Her laughter rang out while the cubs attacked at the same moment, bearing her down with mock war growls. She rolled with them, tickling and rubbing their fur until they suddenly ran out of energy and lay panting atop her. I watched her smile at them like a proud mother then share the look with their mother._

_“You need to keep them below until the earth quits moving. The wind will be bad for awhile but once it dies down the world above should be all right.” Her husky voice echoed slightly against the ice walls._

_The mama bear growled low and her cubs immediately scampered over to her._

_“I know you want to help but your place is protecting your cubs. Let me worry about Above.” She knelt in front of them and extended a hand towards the great white muzzle. The bear looked at her for a long moment then down at the cubs nestled to her side. Nodding, she nuzzled into the outstretched hand and I heard the woman give a sigh of relief._

_“Thank you. I’ll take care of the Ikiiri and you’ll take care of your babies. Within another day and night, it should be safe to go Above again.” The woman stretched and stood, moving to the center of the cavern and beginning a kata that moved slowly in waves of motion that mimicked the dolphins I’d seen cavorting in the southern waters near Seward._

_As she turned, she caught sight of us and slowed her movements while assessing me with her single silver eye that matched the bear’s eyes beside me. “You just can’t leave it alone, can you, Mother? Who’s this one?”_

_I shouldn’t have been surprised I guess but I started when the bear beside me spoke in motherly tones. “You’ve never met him, little one.”_

_“But I’m going to, aren’t I? Why can’t you just let me get on with this? You never used to interfere like this before.” She moved gracefully across to the great white bear beside me, kneeling so their eyes were on a level. “Don’t you trust me any longer?”_

_“I trust you with my world, small bite. But who do you trust?”_

_“I trust myself and my sister-selves. And I trust you. If I am wrong then tell me so I can correct my actions. It is my world too and I will die for Her as I have done three times already.”_

_“Excuse me, but could you explain what’s going on?” I decided to see if I could participate in this little tennis match._

_She rose and held out her hand. “Hello, my name is Ruth and I’m the Earth’s Avatar.” Looking pointedly at the bear at my side, she continued. “And this is Earth’s Guardian Goddess. Who still hasn’t told me why she’s brought you here.”_

_If a bear could look sly, then the Goddess beside me looked like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. “I thought you might like to get acquainted. It’s getting so there’s no one new to introduce you to.”_

_I finished shaking the Avatar’s hand. “And what are you warning the bears against?”_

_She sighed and looked up into my eyes with such a sad look. “Every two thousand years, an alien race called the Ikiiri visit Earth. There’s a wormhole which only occurs at that time out near Mars.”_

_“The space anomaly that appeared is a ship?” My mind was racing and putting together the limited facts at my disposal._

_“Yes. This will be the fourth time I’ve faced them. Protocol demands the Ikiiri Queen be met by her equal in rank. It’s why the Goddess chose me six thousand years ago.”_

_“You’re six thousand years old?” I think my voice squeaked._

_“Well, not continuously. One little side effect of our meetings is I always die. But when they’re expected again, I’m reborn in time to be at least old enough to handle opening my memory and letting in my sister-selves so I’m prepared to meet them.”_

_I suddenly had a very bad feeling about this. What if this woman was totally insane?_

_“Well, it’s your dream, honey. If I’m insane then you’ll wake up and forget you were ever here.” She was smiling sympathetically at me and I could feel myself blush. “And this crisis will be over before too long anyway.”_

_“Sorry, I’m a little confused.”_

_“Join the crowd.” She sighed and rubbed her scarred cheek with a scarred left hand. “It’s always a little disorienting when I first receive the memories of my past lives. Illura, my first self was the only one who didn’t have to contend with thoughts of madness. Are you sure I haven’t met this one?” She suddenly turned to the bear beside me._

_“Certain. Marag was King Orion in Atlantis.”_

_The woman and I exchanged a look that shared commiseration while I tried to remember what she had said her name was. Suddenly she stiffened all over and stalked over to stand in front of her Goddess._

_“Mother. Please tell me he is not Peter Hamilton.”_

_The bear simply looked at her._

_“Please, don’t make me forswear my promise to his mother. I promised her none of her sons would come to harm.” She was begging the great white bear before her, her hands tugging on the silky fur at the bear’s shoulders._

_“You’ve met my mother?” This was getting too strange and I shook my head to try and wake up but nothing happened._

_“I’m supposed to understand this, aren’t I? Why are you putting innocents in the path of danger? Surely my life is sacrifice enough. It’s not very important to anyone but me but I really do willingly give my life so the Earth will be safe. Each life I took fewer of my people with me. Why must there be more?”_

_“You’re not thinking this through, little one. You’ve touched so many lives over the millennium, they have asked to share this one with you. With clear minds and loving hearts they are coming to join with you to meet the Ikiiri one last time.”_

_“You’ve never said that before, Mother. This is the last time we must meet?” The note of hope in her voice was strong._

_“The last time you will meet in combat, my Chosen One. This I promise you.” The large silver eyes moved between the two of us. “Remember what I said earlier. Free will is what sets you apart from all my children. You have always chosen love in your lives, Daughter. What will you choose this time?”_

_I watched a tear slowly slide down her good cheek. She nodded to her Goddess then looked up at me with a quirk of her lips. “I choose love, My Lady. Even if I do not deserve it, I will love to the best of my ability.”_

_“Oh good, now it’s time you went back to bed, Peter. You have family coming.”_

_The cave began to fade away, dissolving around the edges of my sight. I heard the woman exclaim once more before she faded completely._

_“Mother, you are such a troublemaker!”_

_“I heard that, young lady. I prefer to call myself a matchmaker.”_

********************


	15. Reunions

Peter Hamilton awoke with a start from the strangest dream he’d ever had. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around the unfamiliar room with a blurry gaze. Groaning, he realized he was still a thousand miles from his nice room at Elmendorf Air Force Base and still snowed in on Victoria Island. His Canadian hosts had insisted that he join their mess and have a . . . what had they called it?

A wee dram.

“I promise I will never ever again have five wee drams of Canadian Everclear. Never, never, never.” He told himself solemnly while half falling out of the bunk and heading for the half-bath next door. The room spun a little but it mostly stayed put while he staggered in and pissed away the night before. Pulling up his long johns, he looked at himself in the mirror above the sink and groaned.

He looked like he’d gone three rounds with a boxer and lost. His sandy blond hair hung lankly on his forehead, his blue eyes were reddened and the stubble on his face looked like it had grown into a beard overnight. But some good soul had left him a toothbrush, toothpaste, towel and a razor with a little bar of soap from some hotel and he drank some water first before splashing his face with the glacially cold water.

“Have I ever told the other two about the Hamilton curse?” He mused out loud while working the soap into a lather and trying to decide if his hand was steady enough to shave without cutting his throat. “I have to remember to tell Sam and Toby that three drinks is the absolute limit for the Hamilton men.”

Shivering, he finished waking himself up with a sponge bath before heading back into the guest quarters to see how bad his flight suit looked. But he’d remembered to hang it up so it wasn’t in too bad a shape. He was going to smell pretty ripe by the time he got back to the other base where his spare clothes were. Because there was no way he was going out into 60 degree below zero weather without his long underwear under his flight suit even if he had slept in them.

His flight jacket was shrugged on then he pulled on the parka the Canadians had loaned him when they realized the odd weather front had closed down the exercises for the day. He pulled up the fur lined hood and took a deep breath before going out into the freezing corridor that would eventually lead him to the base mess hall. He could see his breath even inside the metal corridor. He amused himself with remembering the movie ‘The Thing’, the original version.

Just what he needed - an alien to land and go berserk on them. Stopping dead, he remembered his dream and the . . . what had she called them? The Indiri . . . no the Ikiiri. And they were going to be landing near here soon. He shook his head unable to shake the feeling of impending doom. Yeah, the Goddess of Earth was a polar bear.

“I swear I will never drink again. Never, never, never.” He chanted under his breath while returning a salute to the young airman he passed.

“Major Hamilton, good morning.” The cheery accents came from one of the officers he’d met the day before. What the hell was his name?

“Captain Brewer, good morning. Do I have you to thank for my toothbrush this lovely morning?”

“Standard supplies in the guest quarters. People are always getting stranded here by the weather.” The young man grinned cheerfully. “The Colonel asked if you’d feel like joining him for breakfast.”

“Sounds like a plan, Captain. Lead on. I’ll try not to trample you on the way to the coffee.” Peter smiled through the headache tightening around his head like a vice.

“This way, sir.” The perky young man led him down the right hand branch of the corridor and into a much warmer room filled with metal tables and folding chairs. Early morning chatter echoed from the men and women eating at the tables. Peter unzipped his jackets and pushed back the hood that had been so necessary in the halls.

“Ah, Major Hamilton. The weather is breaking up and you’ll soon be on your way back to civilization.” Colonel Green smiled up at him and waved him to a seat across from him. “But not before you have breakfast. Neil, see about a plate for the Major.”

“Yes, sir.” Captain Brewer left them for the chow line on the other side of the room.

“Sit yourself down, Peter. You look like you could use some coffee.” The twinkling blue eyes across the table smiled up at him.

“Yes, sir. I think a gallon or so should be just about right.” He sat down and pushed the extra layer of coats onto the back of the chair. The Colonel reached behind him to the table against the wall and pulled out a full coffeepot and an extra cup, proceeding to pour for Peter. “Thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome, son. Are you up to speed about the ship that’s moving toward Earth?” The smile faded a little.

“No, sir. Are they sure it’s a ship?” Peter felt a frisson at the base of his spine.

“Yes. It’s moving on a course that will bring it right over the North Pole.”

“Any communication from it?”

“If there is, the top brass are keeping it a secret.”

They exchanged a grin that spoke of what they thought about that. 

The young Captain returned with a tray full of food then departed with a smile for them both. Peter dug in immediately and found the headache fading while his stomach filled. Once the initial hunger pangs were quelled, Colonel Green continued their earlier conversation.

“We’ve gone on high alert. Just because it appears their flight path ends here doesn’t mean anything. They’ve already demonstrated maneuvering capabilities. It’s not some big asteroid or comet we simply never saw before.”

Peter nodded. “I had a dream last night explaining it. Isn’t it odd what your unconscious mind can come up with?”

At the Colonel’s urging, he told him the dream, amazed he remembered so much detail. When he finished, he sat back and waited for a reaction.

“You know, that’s very interesting. There’s some kind of odd weather pattern north of us, centered on Meighen’s Island. It’s the reason you got stranded here. My weather man is pulling out his hair because there’s no underlying cause to explain why the high and low pressure zones have reversed themselves.”

“And the rest of it?” Peter grinned at him. 

“Have you ever studied polar bears, Peter? They are wondrous majestic creatures who inhabit what we consider a cold hell on Earth. The Inuit consider them sacred and if they must kill one for food, they always ask its permission then thank it for the gift of its life.” The Colonel’s wise eyes surveyed him from across the table.

“I can understand that, sir. She was so powerful yet so human when I was scratching her ears. I think that must be something that all people share, the desire to embrace a wild creature to try and tame it.”

“Or experience that power for themselves. Do you remember an old TV show called Gentle Ben from the seventies?” When Peter nodded, he continued. “The real star of the show was the bear and every time he hugged someone, we all experienced it for ourselves.”

“I think I see what you mean. But the woman in the dream was so real that when she called the bear ‘Mother’, I believed her. And her scarring was so extensive. Her left side was completely disfigured while her right was free of scars and rather plain. But the silver eye seemed to see right through me.” Peter accepted another cup of coffee. “And what about the whole promise to my mother?”

“Ah, well it may be your unconscious mind is reminding you to give her a call.” He grinned at Peter’s wry nod. “And you’ll be the first to know if the rest of your family shows up. The weather is clearing up to the south so if they’re on their way, they’ve got clear skies.”

They both laughed and when the Colonel suggested they go and check on the weather conditions, he agreed. The Command Center was in the middle of the base buried beneath a fresh layer of snow. They trudged through a barely shoveled walkway that led from the housing complex to the maintenance cluster of workshops.

There wasn’t much going on but the lieutenant in charge of weather was staring at his computer with a slack jaw. When the Colonel tapped him on the shoulder, his eyes never left the screen showing colored spectrometer readings. “It’s impossible. Winds don’t move like that.” Then he dragged his eyes away from the computer and registered their presence with a blush. “Sorry, sir.”

“What has you so flummoxed, Tim?” The Colonel smiled down. “This is Major Hamilton who got stranded here yesterday. Now, Lieutenant Davis, explain what has you puzzled.”

The young man nodded a greeting to Peter then went right back to the slowly changing colors on the computer monitor. “Do you see this swirl of red? That’s the center of a low-pressure area, just west of our sensors on Meighen’s Island. And it shouldn’t be there. It should be a high-pressure area according to all the rules I learned in weather school. The temperatures are well below freezing, the ocean waters are nicely ice packed and all conditions point to high pressure. But there it sits, gathering in more and more wind. There’s never been a hurricane at the North Pole but that’s exactly what it looks like. There’s even an eye, right there.” And he pointed to the yellow dimple in the middle of the mass of red.

Peter shivered slightly in the warm room. Every pilot needed to know the rudiments of weather so he could gauge what he might be flying into or out of. And what he was gazing at looked like a little piece of hell to him.

“Is that why our skies have cleared up?” The Colonel had a contemplative look on his craggy features.

“Yes, sir. It’s like there’s something up there that’s sucking all the wind right out of the whole Arctic Circle and pulling it into a . . . I don’t know what to call it. I tried calling down to Toronto to see what they think but the communications are down.” He sat back and shrugged.

“Ted, what’s this about communications?” The Colonel swung around and addressed the master sergeant at the complex board controlling all communications for the base.

“Sorry, sir. No explanation but we can’t get through on any channel and all the bands have some kind of weird hissing sound. We haven’t been able to communicate with anyone since just after midnight.” The bald headed man scratched his head and turned to his commander. “I even tried Morse code down to Elmendorf and nothing.”

“And I’m just now hearing about it?” The Colonel frowned down at him but the man met his gaze with equanimity.

“Well, there wasn’t anything you could do and I just kept trying to make it work and not succeeding. We thought it was the storm brewing out there but literally nothing is working including the satellite feeds. If I didn’t know better, I’d say we were being jammed by something.”

“Then how is Tim getting the pictures from Meighen’s Island?” Colonel Green swung back to his weatherman.

“I don’t know. We tried bouncing a signal off the weather sensors and it didn’t work. It’s one way only. We can receive but we can’t send.” He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “Hell, we even had the Padre bless the equipment and that didn’t work either.”

The Colonel finally smiled and clapped the master sergeant on the shoulder. “Keep me informed, Ted. Well, Major, it looks like you’ve got the option to fly out of here and try to find out what’s going on or stick around and see first hand.”

Peter didn’t even stop to consider. “I’ll stick. This could be a very interesting place for the next 24 hours.”

“Sir, I’m receiving a signal.” The excited voice came from the console. “It’s a military flight coming in . . . a Colonel Griffin and passengers from the States. They’re requesting permission to land.”

“Give it, Ted. Well, I suppose I should go and greet our guests.” Colonel Green shook his head. “If it’s Seth Griffin, this could be very interesting. I flew with him twenty years ago.”

“Permission to join you, Colonel?” Peter wasn’t sure what he was feeling but he had an itch telling him this could be important.

The Colonel just nodded and put his parka back on. “Zip up, Major. Let’s go see who’s brave enough to fly up here.”

In ten minutes, they were standing by an aircraft-parking stall next to Peter’s frozen F16. The dot in the sky had just landed and was taxiing in. Peter watched the pilot park the gray jet and blinked when he thought he saw Sam in the co-pilot’s seat. Five minutes later, the door opened and the steps came down. The first person off was a bearded, long haired man followed by one of the most beautiful woman Peter had ever seen.

But it was the next person that dropped his jaw. Toby. His little brother, Toby followed closely by his study buddy, Mei Ling. He almost didn’t notice the grizzled man behind her.

“Toby?”

“Hi, Peter. See guys, I told you he’d be here.” Toby greeted him with an exuberant hug. “You remember Mei Ling, don’t you? And this is Marag Griffin, Simon Hughes and Joe . . . um, Joe, I don’t know your last name.”

The old man chuckled. “Peterson. Nice to meet you, Major.”

“Toby, what are you doing here?” Peter felt like he’d fallen down the rabbit hole.

“Well, it’s kind of a long story. Colonel Griffin can probably tell it best. Or Sam since it kind of started with him and Joe.” Toby shivered a little and tried to tuck his head a little further down into his down coat.

“Well, Peter, I wonder what else is going to come true from your dream.” Colonel Green was eyeing the group with an assessing eye.

But Peter didn’t answer because he was too busy staring at his other brother come out of the plane followed by a Marine. “Sam?”

“Hi, Peter. It’s a very long story. Could we go inside and start telling it? There isn’t much time left.” Sam looked like he hadn’t slept for a week but his hug was as strong as ever.

“Seth, you old horse thief, what in the world are you doing here?” Colonel Green was wringing the hand of the Marine.

“David, long time no see. Can we continue this inside in a secure area? There’s a few things you should know.” Colonel Griffin gave Peter a measuring look that made him wonder what he’d done.

He didn’t think he knew him but he cast a quick look back over the Marines he’d met in the last few years.

“You don’t know him, Peter.” Sam’s affectionate tones were just low enough that he was the only who heard him. “He came in a few weeks ago to head the Marine unit at my base. We met in Kosovo a couple of months ago.”

There was something Sam wasn’t saying. Peter could hear an emotion under the words he wasn’t sure he understood but for now, he just nodded and followed them in. They went to a conference room that joined Colonel Green’s office. The women immediately disappeared into the women’s restroom down the hall while Captain Brewer was sent to bring back coffee.

Peter was impatient but he held it in while the others stretched and took turns in the restroom down the hall. He would have given almost anything to have five minutes alone with both his brothers but they seemed to be avoiding him. The odd looks they exchanged were bad enough but the whole dynamics of the group confused the hell out of him.

When they were settled around the conference table with orders they were not to be interrupted unless communications came back up or they were invaded, Colonel Green made sure they all had the beverage of their choice then he sat back and gazed at the group with an assessing eye.

“Seth, I’m expecting one hell of a story to explain all of you and why you’re here.”

“It will be easier if we tell it in the order it happened. Which means it starts with Joe, then brings in Sam. Why don’t they start and we’ll fill in as we go. If you could hold the questions until we’re done, we’d appreciate it. Time is running short and we still have to get up to Meighen’s Island.” The Marine Colonel sat back and waved a hand to the old man to start.

Peter sat spellbound by the unfolding tale, watching Sam weave the story into a coherent whole with Toby and Mei Ling chiming in. If he hadn’t pinched himself, he would have thought he was still dreaming but the pain reminded him he was indeed awake. The dynamics of the group changed back and forth while the story came in parts from one side of the table to the other.

He could sense there were quite a few things being left untold, especially when Sam or Seth spoke and occasionally when Toby chimed in. But when they were done speaking, they all looked at him as if he had the last piece of the puzzle.

“Well, I did have a dream last night. With a talking polar bear and a scarred woman who was playing with bear cubs and talking about promising Mother none of us would come to harm.” Peter condensed his dream into a few words. “Why do you all believe her?”

“It’s hard not to when you find yourself speaking ancient Chinese and remembering a life that feels as real as today.” Toby shrugged and bit into an apple from the tray on the conference table.

“And when you see her speaking to birds and taming the wind.” Sam sat back and rubbed his eyes.

The Marine Colonel’s voice was somber. “I don’t think we can afford to not take her seriously and act as if every word was true. If the ship headed for us is carrying aliens . . . and if they are Ikiiri . . . and if they challenge us . . . how are we going to react? What weapons do we have that might stop them?”

“The storm that’s growing west of Meighen’s Island, the one that shouldn’t exist but does. The last element, air.” Colonel Green was drawing little triangles on his note pad. “So, you came up here to do . . . what?”

“Be with her. Give her someone tangible to fight for. Give her a reason to maybe break the chain reaction and live through the encounter.” Sam leaned forward and divided his gaze between Peter and Colonel Green. “You said the polar bear goddess said she has always chosen love and free will is what sets us apart from all her children. Well, she’s been so intent on making sure that she doesn’t get anyone else killed, she’s left herself completely alone. Something she never was before in any of our lives.”

“Are you sure you haven’t shared a life with her?” Toby asked.

Peter hesitated and replayed part of the dream in his mind. “Ruth asked her twice if she was sure we hadn’t met and the second time the polar bear said . . . ‘certain. Marag was King Orion in Atlantis.’”

The tall bearded man choked on his coffee and the woman at his side pounded on his back. “Not one word, Simon. Or I’ll be forced to tell them just who you were in Atlantis.”

The rest of the table dissolved into laughter while Peter and Colonel Green just looked on. Peter could feel the tension in the room lessen and he smiled a bit while he watched Sam smile and rub a little circle on his temple. He wondered if it meant he had as bad a headache as Peter did.

“Sorry about that.” The Marine Colonel’s eyes were also on Sam’s hand and they were worried. “We need transportation up to the island. I’m not sure how much help we’ll be but there’s something telling me that the countdown has ticked down quite a bit while we were flying up here. I’m hoping you’ll help, David.”

“It’s a story that’s right out a book of fairy tales, Seth. And by rights, I should lock you all up as dangerous lunatics.” Colonel Green shook his head. “But I must be as crazy as you are because I believe every word. So, we’ll organize some transportation for you and get you on your way. The last time we had any communication, the alien ship was still twelve hours out. Did you hear any different?”

The Marine Colonel shook his head. “That sounds about right. How long will it take to get up there?”

“Four hours by plane. We’ve got an old Albatross that can land on snow pack. And a pilot who can fly her.”

“Excellent. Would it be possible to catch a few hours sleep for all of us? We’ve been going on adrenaline the last couple of days. And I want us fresh when we face the Ikiiri.” Colonel Griffin asked.

“Of course you can. We’ve got guest rooms galore. In fact, Peter here used one last night. He and I will sort out your transportation while you’re catching a few winks.” Colonel Green smiled and shook his head at Peter when he took a breath to ask for some time with his brothers.

“Peter, we’ll have time to talk on the flight up, I promise. But I really need a nap right now.” Sam looked at him apologetically with his eyes at half-mast.

“I could use a tour of the base. I slept during the flight up.” Toby looked alert and Mei Ling nodded agreement.

“That’s doable. I’ll have Captain Brewer take you around. Anyone else like to join them?”

“I would, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble.” The old man said hesitantly.

“It’s been a while but I think I’d enjoy it as well.” The bearded man, Simon spoke up with Marag joining in with a nod.

“Fine. Seth, I’ll let you and Captain Hamilton have my suite for your naps and the rest of us will keep busy.” Colonel Green stood and went to a door at the opposite end of the conference room. “Right in here. Excuse the mess but I wasn’t expecting company.”

“As long as there’s a bed, it could look like a tornado hit it and I’d think it looked fine.” Sam faltered a little when he stood up and Colonel Griffin put out a steadying hand.

Peter watched with narrowed eyes while the two of them disappeared through the heavy door. There was something going on but he couldn’t tell just what. Swinging around, he caught Toby’s grin and knew just who to go to for the information. “Toby, could I speak to you for a moment?”

“Um, no. I need to get going on that tour. We can talk later.” He was already heading for the other door with Mei Ling right behind.

Peter’s eyes swung to the other three but they all had pleasant smiles on their faces and they were edging out of the room as quickly as they could. So, they all know but they’re not talking. It is definitely something to do with Sam. Maybe he’s sick? And he needs this Ruth to heal him like she did the other two?

Colonel Green came back in chuckling. “Seth hasn’t changed a bit. He always was a bit of a mother hen and that brother of yours looks like he’s out on his feet. I think the responsibility of Ruth’s health and his empathy for her have combined to overload him. I’ll bet he’s a very good doctor.”

“Yes, he is.” Peter unclenched his jaw. That might be the explanation. “Well, since the rest have deserted us, why don’t you let me help with getting the Albatross on line and ready to fly?”

“You’ve got a deal. Ever flown one before?” Colonel Green led the way to the command center.

“A hundred years ago but I think I might remember what goes where.” Peter followed him. For now, he’d let it rest but then he and Sam were going to have a little talk.

Would that be before or after you meet the alien invaders, Peter? That little voice in his mind could be so annoying some times. But it did have a point. Okay, first we beat off the aliens, get out alive and then Sam and I will have a little chat.

***********************


	16. Dream Five

_I walk the path to Her sacred mountain. My feet are callused and well used to this dirt ribbon that threads through the valley, gradually making its way to the clouds that always encircle Her sacred peak. But I have never taken this pilgrimage to visit our Goddess with a woman walking behind me._

_A woman who by all rights should be at home taking care of her children and submitting to her husband. Instead she walks behind me with her head raised to look about her instead of properly cast down to show her humility. But she has none of the finer virtues of piety and obedience._

_Had I not heard her myself, tell her lawful husband that the Goddess had spoken to her and she could not return with him to their village? I shuddered at the intemperate language that he used when he raised his voice. But she had not given way to his will as a proper wife would have done. Instead, she told him to go and leave her to the Goddess._

_Such impiety shocked me to the bone. It is well known that the Goddess speaks only to the Abbots of the nine temples, not to ordinary people and certainly not to any woman, even though she is of the noble class. Still, the Abbot gave her his permission to ascend Her mountain. She wished to go alone but it would be highly improper to allow her to walk unsupervised so the Abbot chose me to accompany her._

_He knew that I would allow no impropriety. I have spent my forty years in service to the Goddess and She has no more faithful servant than I have been. The very idea that this . . . woman might have spoken to Her is blasphemy. But I obey the Abbot who leads our community for his will is also Hers._

_I wish only to guide her to the plateau so that she may fulfill her supposed task for the Goddess and then brush away her contaminating presence from our sacred space. It will take us most of the day to ascend to the high plateau where she says that she must sacrifice. I saw no animal in her pack but perhaps she means to shed her own blood for the Goddess. Such an act might be pleasing to the Great One but why during this season of snow and cold?_

_The sun shines above us and paints the path that leads upwards to our destination. Most of the color is gone with the fall of the year but here and there red berries peep out from the dark green fronds of the holly. I suddenly wish I was alone to enjoy the beauty of Her mountain but I refuse to allow her to see any emotion but my placid serenity that I have painted onto my face so that she may not know how very badly she disturbs me._

_It is something I must control for do not the Gods desire Their servants to be calm so that they may serve Them better? Yes, of course they do and I must remember that and count my prayer beads to regain that calm that she stole from me by her very presence. I felt so sorry for her little boys, deprived of their mother by the crazed story of a raving madwoman._

_Perhaps that is why the Abbot gave his permission? Suddenly it all became clear to me. The healing that our temple is so famous for was being used to bring this woman back to sanity. By allowing her to fulfill her belief that the Goddess had spoken to her, a healing of her mind might be accomplished. And the Abbot chose me to bring her to the place where she might find a balanced mind so that she might return to her family._

_I smile glad that I am before her so she might not see my relief now that I understood my place. The Abbot in his wisdom had shown me a bit of his insight into her madness and together we might be able to heal her, if that was the will of the Goddess. I feel my shoulders relax and my steps quicken. The sooner we arrive then the sooner we might return._

_“Brother, by your leave, may we stop here for a rest?” Her voice is a bit breathless but then she would not be accustomed to such a rapid ascent to the higher altitudes._

_“Certainly, Madam. The stream is pure if you wish to drink.” I am able to speak to her now with true calm._

_She bows to me and goes to the riverbank to kneel, cupping the fresh cold water of the swiftly running stream. I watch her look about her with eyes wide in wonder of the beauty of the sacred mountain. Not many were ever granted permission to journey this far. I traveled this route once a year and still I found something new each time I passed along the well-worn path._

_“So much beauty.” Tears fall from her eyes and I see them rise to the blue skies that arch above us. “Mother, protect us.”_

_And that’s when I see the dragon of silver and blue come plummeting down from the sky with a scream of immortal rage, straight for us while beneath it, she stands with the crystal in her hands shining brighter than the sun. I hold my beads tightly and say the words that are proscribed for banishing demons of the dark._

_But they do not work._


	17. Another Reunion

Father Adam Benson held the now cold cup of coffee in his hand and gazed unseeing out the triple-paned window set into the chapel door. The dream he’d had still echoed in his mind. He was trying to understand it as an allegory but the part of his memory that held the science fiction stories of his youth kept popping up and telling him the demon had been a space ship.

Perhaps like the space ship headed towards Earth right now.

Shaking his head, he noticed the cold coffee and sighed. That was the second cup he’d almost drunk this morning. Morning mass had been standing room only, not because of his scintillating sermon but because of the uncertainty of knowing something was approaching Earth and their communications were cut off. He’d already heard thirty confessions this morning but for the moment, the chapel was empty so he was free to make his way to the mess hall and have some professional caffeine.

The weather certainly had been strange lately he mused, noting the mounds of snow in the gray-white light of a winter day in the Northwest Territories. He promised himself a trip to the command post to see if the weatherman had figured out the patterns and to see if the communications had come back up. After he got his coffee. He nodded to the cooks while he made his way to the large steel coffee makers. Pouring his first cup, he thought as he always did that the base would stop running if the coffee ever ran out.

“Padre!” 

He turned to find a gaggle of civilians led by Captain Brewer. “Neil, I see you’ve become a guide again. I’m Father Benson.”

The introductions were brief and he took pity on the young captain, asking if he could join them. The grateful look he received was thanks enough. Their conversation was stilted as if they couldn’t speak freely in front of him. It didn’t help that every eye in the place was on them. Visitors at this time of year were not common, especially civilians. And this bunch appeared odder than most, with their disparate range of ages from teens to sixties.

When the loud speaker asked Captain Brewer and guests to return to the command post, he invited himself along. Something was going on and a little chill up his spine told him he was needed. It only happened when there was danger and so far it had saved his life twice so he wasn’t going to argue with it. Just send up a quick prayer to God to guide him and then go ahead and do the best he could.

Colonel Green was just coming in, brushing off snow and laughing at something the strange officer behind him said. “Ah, Padre, meet Major Peter Hamilton. Peter, this is Father Adam Benson, our Chaplain. It appears we’re going to need your prayers, Padre. This band of intrepid adventurers is going up to meet whoever is flying towards Earth. Where are the other two?”

“I’ll go and wake them, Colonel.” The red headed woman smiled and moved serenely to the door into the conference room.

“I’ll come too, Marag.” The American Major made a movement to follow her and the young lad who looked somewhat like him threw an arm around his shoulder, holding him in place.

“Nah, Peter, you need to stay and tell us about this Albatross we’re going to be flying up to Meighen’s Island.” His laugh diffused the brief tension which had filled the command post.

Father Adam wrinkled his eyes and tried to decipher the different dynamics of this odd group. Colonel Green had obviously accepted them and whatever story they’d told him but what would bring together such a mixed bag of ages and sexes. He listened intently to their plans and the questions they asked the weatherman. It sounded like they knew where the aliens were going to land and who the aliens were.

But that wasn’t possible. Was it?

“Sorry, Father Adam, it sounds quite crazy doesn’t it?” The young Chinese girl smiled up at him.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say crazy but I do wonder at your strong belief in this situation. We’ve never faced such a meeting before except in the movie theaters.” He returned her smile.

“But we have experienced it before. The Ikiiri come every two thousand years. The last time was in ancient China and Ruth was our mother when she faced them down.” Mei Ling spoke calmly but with complete assurance.

But he couldn’t respond because he was held tight in the grip of the nightmare of the night before. Seeing the silver dragon, hearing its unearthly screech, tasting the blood as he bit his tongue in fright, smelling the scorched ozone the air became and feeling his solid prayer beads held in faltering fingers.

“Father . . . Father Adam, come back to now. Leave that memory behind and follow the sound of my voice back to us. Come on, you can do it.” The sharp voice held confidence and the promise of safety.

He came back to the command post eye to eye with the grizzled old man who’d hung back when the group was introduced in the mess hall. Joe, that was his name.

“Good, you made it back. Did you by chance have a dream last night?” He let go of Adam’s shoulders but kept one hand gently on his arm to help ground him.

Adam managed a nod and wondered why the Major was shaking his head and muttering something about the Hamilton curse. “I was a monk in China, leading a woman to the sacred mountain.”

“Ah, I thought so. It may help you to know all of us who came up here have had such a dream. Although we pretty much cover the whole spectrum of Ruth’s last three lives and the countries we lived in.” His voice sounded so matter of fact, Adam found himself nodding in agreement before his mind caught up to the words.

“But that’s not possible. Reincarnation is a pagan belief.” He stammered.

The young Asian girl just patted his shoulder while the others looked at him with varying degrees of pity. Joe nodded as if he’d heard just what he expected. “Perhaps it was simply a manifestation of Jung’s collective unconscious. He always did feel our dreams could be deciphered in terms of the myths and symbols that have lasted through the ages.”

“Now, that makes sense to me.” Adam straightened and returned the shy smile Joe gave him.

“Of course it does, Father. We can use your prayers to help us through the coming meeting with the Ikiiri ship.” Joe removed his hand and stepped back to fade in self-effacement into the bearded man’s shadow.

“All of you believe this? That you’ve shared lives with this woman?” Adam looked into each face and registered their serene acceptance of the impossible idea.

The American major glanced sharply at him and Adam wondered why but didn’t want to ask. At that moment Marag returned with the missing members of the party and his attention went to them. One was a Marine Colonel who moved with the same air of command his own Colonel radiated. The man at his side looked translucent with an inner light that shone from him and Adam shook his head at the strange thought.

“Feeling better, Sam?” The American major asked with a note of concern in his voice.

“Yes, big brother, I’m fine. I just needed some sleep.” He smiled affectionately and crossed to the pilot’s side.

From his vantage point at the side of the room, Adam watched them all while he tried to sort out the personalities involved in this strange group. The bearded man stood with Marag and Joe, listening to the young Asian girl ask a quiet question. Toby, the youngest brother stood near her with one hand on her shoulder even while his attention appeared to be with his siblings.

The major was eyeing them all with a puzzled look Adam felt should be his own expression. It was certainly the way he was feeling. The Marine Colonel was speaking with Colonel Green but he kept a weather eye on the one they called Sam. Even from here, Adam could feel the connection between the two of them.

How odd said the inquisitive part of his brain. But the stern taskmaster of his psyche who always sounded like gruff old Father O’Connell from the seminary, looked on disapprovingly at them as he listened to them plan to actually fly up to the frozen island where they firmly expected to find their friend waiting for the alien ship. He didn’t understand their comments on the odd weather pattern west of the island.

It was a weapon?

That wasn’t possible. Then his stomach clenched at a sudden memory of the earth heaving and rolling like a giant roller coaster. No, no, no. That isn’t possible. It was a dream. Just a dream sent by my subconscious. Not a memory. He sucked in a deep breath and hoped no one had noticed his sudden abstraction. His mental guardian, Father O’Connell, shook a finger in his face and told him to snap out of it.

“Okay, we should probably shift the supplies we brought with us over to the Albatross. Then if you’ll provide us with some navigational charts to Meighen’s Island, we’ll be on our way.” Colonel . . . Adam squinted a bit to read his name tag . . . Griffin said with a smile. “David, is there room for you to go along? It would be nice to have a Canadian presence when we get up there.”

“Ha! Wouldn’t I just love it?” Colonel Green snorted but shook his head. “I’d be shot for abandoning my post, if the Powers That Be ever found out.”

“I could go.” Adam surprised himself by stepping forward and volunteering while Father O’Connell berated him mentally.

Startled green eyes met his and he stood quietly while they assessed him. “Why would you wish to go into such danger, Father?”

Adam thought a moment, pushing Father O’Connell down into his subconscious where he belonged. Why did he want to go? “They may have told you I had a dream last night. I don’t believe in reincarnation but part of me wants to see if the alien ship matches the . . .” he blushed at the need to put it into words, “the dragon in my dream.” 

“Ah, I see. Well then, welcome Father. Will you have any problem with my commanding this little group?” Those eyes seemed to read straight through to his soul.

“No. Are you prepared to have me pray for all of us?”

The eyes crinkled up and a smile blossomed. “I never turn down a prayer, Father. We can use all of those we can get. Are you all right with this, David?”

Colonel Green nodded and sent Adam a smile of approval. “Father Adam will be a good addition to your party. He has a most retentive memory and will be able to tell me all about it when you get back.”

If you get back. Adam heard the unspoken words as loudly as a clap of thunder. He shivered and wondered if he’d finally gone insane.

******** 

Once in the air, he sat back and noted the coming and goings of the entire group. Marag was whipping up a banquet for nine out of the supplies they’d brought with them. The bearded man who she called Simon but everyone else called Wolf was helping her. Joe was curled up near him and the two teenagers were playing a game of hearts across the aisle, arguing good-naturedly over the cards. Colonel Griffin and Major Hamilton were piloting the old plane while Sam sat between them in the navigator’s seat.

“Joe, would you mind telling me your dream of the past?” Adam needed to know more about these supposed memories his companions seem to think proved the hypothesis of reincarnation.

The old man nodded and gave him a potted history of his life up to the moment he met Ruth and recognized her from his dreams, those dreams of fabled Atlantis and the reason why she sank beneath the waves of the Pacific. The small boy in him wanted desperately to believe the story but the part of him that sounded like Father O’Connell listened with a disapproving air.

Suddenly, Joe said something that struck a nerve.

“Excuse me? She escaped from an insane asylum?”

“Yes, I know. Proves the dreams couldn’t be true, don’t you think?” Joe smiled wryly. “A hundred years ago when I was a practicing psychologist, I’d have agreed with you. They can be explained away as the onset of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Multiple personalities released by the trauma of being blown up.”

“But you don’t think so?” Adam looked a question.

“No. Too many things are left unexplained by that theory.” Joe’s faded blue eyes looked into his. “The dreams are all different but they all have the immediacy of events lived. All five senses are involved in every case. And how did she heal Wolf and I with the crystal?”

“Faith healers have been around for centuries. And even some saints have had the power to heal. Power given to them by God.” Adam was on solid ground here. “Perhaps you healed because you wanted to be healed? Belief can be a powerful source of God’s power.”

Joe nodded. “You could be right, Father. Perhaps it explains my need to drink disappearing but it’s a little harder to explain the spontaneous remission of Wolf’s lung cancer. Instead of only having six months left to live, his doctor says there’s no trace of the disease anywhere in his body.”

Adam looked over at the large man who was smiling down at his beautiful companion. He seemed to be fit and in excellent shape for a man who’d been dying a week before. Nothing in his studies except for the stories of the saints fit the picture the old man was painting. But she couldn’t be a saint, not if she worshiped a pagan goddess.

“Perhaps, her Goddess is just a manifestation of the Virgin Mary.” Adam offered up a tentative explanation.

Joe smiled. “Entirely possible, Father. The feminine energy of the universe goes by many names, I think. It’s a fascinating study and one I plan to pursue if we get out of this alive.”

Adam felt a shiver go up his spine. “Yes, there is that. What if it isn’t this race you’ve named the Ikiiri?”

“Well, that would be a poser wouldn’t it?” He grinned suddenly. “What do you think about that, Toby? What if it isn’t the Ikiiri?”

The young man looked up with a grin. “I don’t think it matters. If worst comes to worst, the typhoon brewing west of here won’t leave any trace of them. No matter who they are, if they come to conquer then they’ll be taken care of.”

“Along with all of us.” Adam couldn’t help mentioning.

Toby just smiled at Mei Ling and she answered for them both. “Father, beyond everything I hold dear one thing keeps coming back to me. Catholicism believes in acts of faith, don’t they?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Well, I have faith in Ruth. Even if she’s crazy or deluded or any other derogatory term you want to use, she’s the one who warned us. And she has a rock solid belief in her ability to protect the world from its invaders. A belief most of us share in one form or another.” She held out her hand to meet Toby’s. “If there is a way out of this which will protect us and the peoples of Earth, I believe she will find it.”

“It may sound odd, Father, but we have faith in her. Even is she does believe in a Goddess who protects Earth.” Wolf’s voice joined in their conversation while he put a plate down in front of the other two, loaded with all manner of food.

“It’s easier for we women, Father. There’s a point in all our lives, if we have children when we no longer pray to God but to his Mother to comfort us. Because She was where we are now, birthing a child, taking care of him or her and letting them go free when they take their first steps out into the world.” Marag’s green gaze was steady on Adam’s while she set down their dinners.

Adam nodded an acknowledgment of her words but he stayed silent because of a sudden memory of one of the parishioners at the parish he’d served with as an apprentice priest before graduation. The old woman came faithfully every day at seven in the morning and again at eight every night. She always lit a candle by the Madonna in one of the side chapels and prayed for a long time before her image. One day, she had struggled to get up from rheumatic knees and Adam had rushed to help her.

Thanking him shyly, she had patted his arm and told him what a good son he was. She had told him that one of her daughters was a Bride of Christ, serving in the next state in a Benedictine order. He had smiled and walked her to the front doors while she explained she thought of the priests as Mary’s sons since the nuns were thought of as Her daughters in law. He’d managed to hold back his laughter but he couldn’t help telling Father Randolph that night over supper what she’d said.

The old priest had looked at him with a twinkle in his eye and told him that in a very real sense, they were Mary’s sons since they were standing in for Him in this wicked world. For some reason that memory had stayed with him and he found himself back in the present with a start while he ate mechanically from the plate in front of him. The others were all eating and chatting back and forth as if they’d known each other for years instead of weeks.

His questioning of Wolf about the dream he’d had, brought Marag and Joe back into the conversation. But when Toby and Mei Ling began to talk about their life in China, he began to tremble in shock while their modern faces changed to the solemn little faces he’d seen in his dream memory. He’d managed to hide his reaction amongst the others’ questions but he was shaken to his soul at the reminder they truly thought these were past live memories.

Nothing in his thirty-six years had prepared him for the questions he now had.

Sam came through with empty plates and Toby got up to join him at the back of the plane. But even over the engine noise, he could still hear them.

“Did you say anything?” Toby asked.

“No, of course not. He doesn’t need to know anything is changed while we’ve got an invasion in front of us.” Sam blushed. “Besides I’m kind of afraid he’ll have the same reaction Dad had.”

“No way. Peter will surprise you. I had to think about it for a while but hey, you’re my favorite doctor brother so whomever you love I’ll accept. Unless it was Eleanor, of course.” Toby said solemnly.

Sam broke into delighted laughter and Adam watching him out of the corner of his eye saw that luminosity return he’d seen earlier. Now he knew he was an officer in the Guard and a doctor, he wondered just what they could be keeping from their oldest brother. Getting up, he took his empty cup with him and crossed to the two brothers.

“Is there any coffee left?” He asked quietly.

“I think so, Father.” Sam shook one of the thermoses and smiled when he found a full one. “Here you go. I’d better take some more up to the cockpit. Peter lives on this stuff.”

“I’ll join you if I may?” Adam asked him with a smile.

Sam and Toby exchanged a quick look then the doctor grinned and nodded. “Sure, Father. I’m guessing you’re curious about the dreams we had?”

Adam nodded ruefully. “The details are so intriguing even if I can’t believe that they are memories.”

“Fair enough. Come on forward with me.” Sam took the thermos with him.

Climbing the short ladder that led to the cockpit, Adam spotted the fold up seat the crew chief usually used. A pair of green eyes flashed over at him, softening when they saw Sam beside him. 

“Okay, guys, here’s the last of the coffee. Make it last, Peter.” Sam joked with his brother and divided the coffee evenly between the two cups held out to him. “The good Father here would like us to describe our dreams for him.”

Adam sat quietly while Sam told his dream of ancient Greece with the Colonel adding in details from his. The priest noticed Peter listened intently, his eyes going back and forth between his brother and the Marine. Something about the story widened his eyes and his questions were short and to the point. Adam had missed something but he couldn’t think what.

But then the Major was telling them his dream in full detail and Adam winced at the whole polar bear goddess story. Peter drolly told them Colonel Green’s interpretation ending with his belief it was a reminder to call his mother. The priest joined in the rather strained laughter that followed the quip, watching Sam and the Colonel exchange a look he couldn’t interpret.

But just then a flash from outside the small windows lit up the gray skies. The Colonel spoke a terse command and the Major grabbed a pair of binoculars, training them on the ice below. Sam stood and looked over his brother’s shoulders. Adam felt his heart beat quicken while he said a prayer for their safety.

“I don’t believe it but there’s like a minor sun burning out there.” Peter kept his eyes on the light.

“It’s the crystal. I think it’s her signaling device. So the Ikiiri know where to land.” Sam said tersely. “We need to get as near it as possible. Is there any sign of the Ikiiri?”

“Nothing I can see yet. There’s still nothing but static on the radio.” The Colonel began a controlled descent, pointing the nose of the plane towards the light.

Adam realized they were going to be landing soon and he really needed to be someplace where he couldn’t see anything. “I’ll go tell the others we’re heading in.”

They just nodded while the two officers spoke cryptic little asides to each other involving landing gear and wing flaps. Adam kept tight control of his voice as he gave the other the news they’d soon be landing. Everyone buckled up and sat back to wait for the word to move.

Adam closed his eyes and prayed for a safe landing. Father, bless us and hold us safely in your hands. I really, really hate landings. Why do I fly? Trains are so much safer. Except when they crash of course. Crashing. Don’t be an idiot, Adam. We’re not going to crash. We’re going to land safely so we can meet the alien invaders in one piece.

He began to pray in earnest, reciting his prayers with a fervor he usually reserved for baptisms or the occasional exorcism. The sense they were dropping swiftly made his stomach flutter. It seemed to last forever but when he checked his watch only five minutes had passed when he felt them begin a controlled skid on the ice covered plain at the southern tip of Meighen’s Island.

Changing his prayer to one of thanksgiving, he opened his eyes and found the others already on their feet and helping each other into the cold weather gear they’d stored beneath the seats. He accepted the one piece insulated jumpsuit and pulled it on over his uniform. His parka barely fit over the down filled suit but the heat was already leaching out of the plane now the engines had stopped. The three from the cockpit joined them and when they were all suited up, they opened the side door to step down onto the frozen surface.

Adam was the last to disembark and he helped the Major close the door behind them. The others were already heading towards the shining beacon blazing in the distance. He found himself praying again but none of his memorized prayers seemed to fit the situation so his importuning were more like the prayers he’d prayed as a child.

Protect us, Father, and guide us now and in the battle to come.

“There she is.” He couldn’t tell which of them had spoken since the suits tended to make all of them look the same except for their heights but he followed the uplifted arm and he hurried to catch up with the others.

In another few moments, they were approaching the still figure clad in a simple sweater and jeans, holding aloft the light they’d followed to landfall. She seemed too still to be living and how she’d survived the sixty-degree below zero weather, Adam couldn’t understand.

“Well, I see you couldn’t stay away.” She kept her eyes on the light in her cupped hands but her voice was full of affection. “Mother said you were coming of your own free will.”

“Yes, we did. It’s our world too, Ruth. Win or lose, we need to help.” Sam spoke simply to the small woman who stood so straight before him.

Her sigh seemed to come from deep within. “I had thought to spare you this confrontation but it seems we must go to Plan B.”

A high-pitched whistle came from overhead and Adam looked up to see the dragon of his dream come plummeting down towards them. As it landed, he found himself empty of prayers while he waited to see what came out of the hatch slowly sliding open before them.

******************


	18. Chapter 18

Toby couldn’t help but shiver even though he was nicely layered with insulation. It wasn’t that kind of shiver. It was the oh-my-god-there’s-an-alien-space-ship-right-in-front-of-me-and-the-door-is-opening kind of shiver. The ship gleamed as a silver and blue oval in the light from Ruth’s crystal. He couldn’t believe they were here, on an island in the Arctic Circle in the middle of winter looking at an alien space ship. He shivered again and took a side look at the others standing on either side of him.

Father Adam was praying under his breath, each word a puff of white cloud in the freezing air. Mei Ling had the narrow eyed concentrated look she got when she was about to sink her teeth into something. Over her head, he could see Wolf assessing the alien ship with the same squinty-eyed look. The others stood quietly behind Ruth like coiled springs ready to let go.

Ruth stood calmly, dressed casually as she had at home. He couldn’t see how she stood the below freezing temperatures but her skin looked healthy. Taking a closer look, he realized the scars were mostly thin white and pink lines as if the accident had happened years ago rather than just months. He decided it must be the crystal’s doing.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d leave the talking to me. None of you are armed, I hope?” Ruth’s voice had the same easygoing tones he remembered.

“Just my service revolver.” Peter volunteered.

“Thank you, Peter. What ever you do, do not bring it out. It wouldn’t do any good and cause more harm than it’s worth. The Ikiiri are armored.”

“Just what is taking them so long?” Sam asked the question they were all thinking.

Ruth chuckled. “Have patience, Sam. They’re not cold weather creatures. It causes their joints to go creaky. Unless they’ve invented a personal force field that works on cold as well, they’re probably debating what to do about the temperature.”

“Did you know that before you started up here?” Seth’s voice had the contemplative note that he’d used when they were discussing their dreams of ancient Greece.

“It was six of one, half a dozen of the other. The winds I needed were here and the cold was just an added bonus.” She raised and lowered her shoulders in a shrug that didn’t move the crystal an iota.

“How do you stand this freezing weather without any cold weather gear?” Marag asked plaintively and Toby silently agreed as the cold crept in.

“I can regulate my body to tolerate most extremes. Of course, I spent the nights curled up with the polar bears you met, Peter. They were great insulators.” Ruth tensed a bit as they saw movement from within. “Show no reaction if you can when they appear. Marag and Brother Liu, I believe you are the only ones who have seen them.”

The priest beside him cleared his throat. “It’s Father Adam Benson, Ruth.”

“Greetings, Father. So glad you could come. Let’s hope this meeting goes better than the last one.” She was smiling the little half smile Toby remembered from the Peabody when the first creature appeared in the open door.

Toby’s eyes widened when the first Ikiiri emerged. His first impression was one of color, shimmering iridescent color. It wasn’t really armor, he guessed but scales layered over each other in overlapping joints that moved sinuously in the light of the crystal. But its eyes were what captured his attention, large and opalescent in ever changing hues that seemed to reflect the light.

“People! Do not look into her eyes. They are one of her weapons. Beautiful but deadly.” Ruth’s voice cracked in the still air and Toby immediately dropped his eyes to the shoulders from which the long arms grew.

But then his eyes caught the slight protrusions that extended beyond her sinuous shoulders. His whisper sounded too loud in the cold air. “They’re winged, Ruth.”

“Well, the myths about dragons had to come from somewhere.” She chuckled.

“Greetings, sssmall onesss.” The deep liquid voice had an odd hissing quality.

“Greetings, Great One. Welcome to Earth.”

“You know me?” The long neck twisted down to get a better look at Ruth.

“You are the fourth Ikiiri Queen I have welcomed to my world.”

The diamond shaped head reared back. “You defeated my clan sssissters?”

“Yes.” Ruth lowered the crystal to chest level. “There is something I’ve been meaning to ask your people. Perhaps you could satisfy my curiosity?”

“Yesss?” The Ikiiri settled back on her powerful looking hind legs and cocked her head at Ruth.

“Why do you keep coming to my world every two thousand of our years?”

Toby bit his tongue. What? Nobody ever asked why they came? Sheesh! I would have thought somebody would have been curious before now.

“For the honor of my clan.”

“I see. But is conquest the only way to honor your clan?”

“To have mussst be to fight.”

“What is it you must have, that you fight me every visit?”

“I do not have the wordsss. My communicator isss new.”

Toby watched one long triple jointed finger tap the jewel that hung around her neck. It was green and pulsed faintly every time she spoke.

“Animal, mineral or plant?”

“Mineral. There isss an abundanccce of thisss element on your world.”

“Really?” Ruth tilted her head a trifle. “Where in my world would this element be found?”

“In the large ssseasss. Our sssensssorsss ssshow that it alssso appearsss in deep pocketsss on sssome of your continentsss.” The Ikiiri Queen moved closer to Ruth and behind her appeared some slightly smaller dragons.

A gust of wind appeared out of nowhere and halted their forward movement. The upstanding flaps that seemed to serve as their ears pressed flat against their head scales but they stood their ground. There was now the same number of dragons as there were humans and Toby wondered if this was going to get ugly.

For the first time in this adventure, he realized they could all be dead in a moment. His head had acknowledged that fact but he now knew it in his bones, his very cold bones. To keep from panicking, he took a good look at the new dragons. They were all a foot or so shorter than their Queen but that still left them two foot taller than any of the humans.

The iridescent color of their scales was in varying shades of a single color. Two of them were glowing orange while four were opalescent green. The other five were all in shades of blue purple that seemed to shine in the darkness of the Arctic winter. Looking down at his friends and relatives, Toby decided that the humans were a pretty drab lot in their navy blue cold weather gear. With their hoods up and pulled forward, it was hard to even tell their sex. The only real color came from Ruth’s bright blue sweater.

“I wonder if you might have a sample of this mineral.” Ruth asked. “I am curious about what brings you here to my world.”

“Yesss.” The Ikiiri Queen pulled aside one of the scales on her upper abdomen and brought forth a small white crystal. With a flick of her long fingers, she sent it sailing through the air into Ruth’s suddenly empty right hand.

The light from the crystal never faltered and Ruth’s eyes darted to the substance in her hand then back to the Queen. Bringing it to her lips, she tasted it before any of them could stop her. Toby saw her shoulders quiver once and he almost broke ranks with the others to go to her but there was no need because Sam was already at her side. She dropped the small cube in his hand and he eyed it carefully.

“Taste it and tell me if it’s what I think it is.” She asked him, still watching the movements of the Ikiiri Queen who suddenly seemed enveloped with shivers that shimmied her scales in an almost hypnotic manner.

Toby forced his eyes away and instead watched Sam tentatively bring the small crystal to his lips and lick it once with the tip of his tongue. A shocked look flew across his face and he tasted it again as if he couldn’t believe his first impression.

“It’s salt. A spectrometer could tell the precise elements in it but basically it’s salt.” The words puffed out of his mouth in little clouds of white.

“This is the element you wish from this world?” Ruth’s voice was controlled.

“Yesss, it is what completesss our %&**&%$.” She nodded.

Toby shook his head at the burbling sound completing her sentence.

“It seems your translator can not quite handle the last word.”

One long finger scratched under her chin while she thought. “Perhapsss not. It isss part of our diet that dealsss with our . . . mating.”

“Reproductive cycles? The making of young Ikiiri?” Sam questioned her.

The Ikiiri Queen craned her head to look at him. “Yesss. Who isss thisss one?”

“This is my son, the doctor.” Ruth spared a quick glance up at Sam, catching his grinning nod with a flick of her eyes.

“Ah, thessse are my sssonsss behind me.” The dragon pointed to either side of her and all the other dragons bobbed their heads in greeting.

“We are a little different here on Earth. Only some of those behind me are my children. The others are family.” Ruth cocked her head to one side and spoke slowly. “I understand you wish the salt that is so plentiful on my world. Does clan honor say you must fight for it or is there another way?”

“I do not underssstand. What you call sssalt is very preciousss, no one would give it away freely.” She was obviously perplexed by the question.

Toby saw Ruth take a deep breath and slowly release it. “On Earth, we believe in the value of trade. One country,” she paused at the puzzled look the Queen was giving her, “an entity like your clan. We have many countries on Earth and each one has something the others need. So, instead of fighting, we trade one need for another. Therefore, all are satisfied and the world keeps on growing in knowledge and deed.”

The large eyes blinked once and her head came forward. “How then do you keep your ‘countriesss’ alert and combat ready?”

“We practice against and with each other every few years at something we call the Olympic Games. Every country sends their best to compete against others in many different events.”

“I sssee. Thisss trading that goesss on. How do you ensssure parity isss achieved?”

“Skilled negotiators from each country meet and iron out the differences.”

“It sssounds like bargaining from weaknesssss.” Her tones were disapproving.

“I can assure you it is not. The alternative is I must take action against the warring parties and neither of them wish that to happen. It’s not nice for them to anger Earth’s Avatar.” Ruth’s voice dropped to a slight whisper, drowned by the howling wind suddenly roaring about them.

Ice and snow whipped through the air around the Ikiiri forcing them almost to the ice surface. The shrieks of the wind echoed in the stillness followed the departure of the winds Ruth had called forth from the Arctic. Toby found himself shaking almost as hard as the dragons in front of him even though the wind hadn’t touched any of the humans.

“I protect what is mine, Ikiiri.” Her voice was colder than the ice around them. “My children will be protected at all costs. But if you can bring yourself to . . . adjust your thinking then we can speak of each of our needs and perhaps come to some agreement that would see both of us satisfied.”

Toby could see by the rapid blinking of her eyes the Queen was shaken. He felt for her because the cold iron in Ruth’s voice had him shaking as well. Taking a look at the others, he was surprised by the identical looks of fierce determination on Mei Ling’s and Marag’s faces. Something in that statement had drawn forth the same reaction from them and he promised himself a quiet talk with his friend later.

“Thisss isss a new thought for usss.” Her head curved towards Ruth. “I do not know what my clan sssisstersss would sssay to thisss proposssal.”

“Each generation must have new thoughts or else the race stagnates into oblivion.” Ruth said gravely. “We are both mothers. Can we approach this from that point of view? If our children are to grow up to explore new places and ideas, then we must provide them with an example of courage to change those beliefs which may have grown stale with time.”

The Queen swiveled her head to look at her sons arrayed behind her. Her posture gentled a bit and she looked back at Ruth thoughtfully. “I mussst ponder thisss. If I give you my word to not ssstart thisss battle prematurely, will you give usss leave to confer within our ssship?”

“Certainly, I would accept your word.”

“Then I give you my word we will withdraw for a ssspace of two of your hoursss, only to return with my anssswer.”

“And I accept. We will withdraw to the silver vehicle you see to my right and await the results of your deliberations.” Ruth dipped her head slightly and the Queen mimicked her gesture before turning to enter her ship, followed by her sons.

Toby noticed for the first time that they had tails that skated over the surface of the ice sheet with little skips and jumps. Not very long but long enough to leave a foot or so of tail upon the ground. Only when the door closed behind them did the others break ranks and swarm around Ruth. Sam was the only one who dared touch her shoulder for the glowing crystal was a reminder of the power she’d shown with her wind storm.

“You all must be freezing. Let’s get you inside your plane so you can warm up. The Ikiiri should take a little longer than she thinks to discuss my proposal.” Ruth placed the crystal into a pouch that hung around her neck and the sound of the wind in the distance lessened.

“Wow, this is so cool, Ruth.” Toby couldn’t help but grin from beneath his hood.

“Cool being the operative word, young man.” She shook her head and let her own smile free for a moment.

They walked back to the plane and inside quickly. Peter went up and turned on the storage battery so the heaters would work. The temperature inside had fallen drastically in the short hour they’d been gone. Ruth accepted a cup of tea and settled on top of one of the storage crates. Toby could tell they all wanted to talk but weren’t sure how to start so he decided to jump in.

“How come nobody asked that question before?”

Ruth shook her head ruefully. “The good lord only knows why we didn’t but every time I met one of the Queens, she challenged and I accepted. Then I destroyed her and her ship and died myself. Thus, we had a self-perpetuating prophecy that always spiraled out of control very quickly. I was going to ask her this time and when you all showed up, it just made it that much more pressing.”

“You are negotiating for the entire world. Questions will be asked by every head of state that I can think of.” Father Adam sounded faintly condemning.

“Yes, I am. Crazy or not, Father, I am Earth’s representative.” Ruth looked at him gravely.

“Appointed by whom?” His whole body bristled with tension.

“The planet.”

“That’s a very glib answer and one which is going to be asked by many if we survive this confrontation.” Father Adam swallowed hard and continued. “And how will this proposition be seen by the world?”

“There are four types of people in the world, Father and they haven’t changed since Man began to walk upright. The Leap-a-head’s, the Look-a-head’s, the Stand-still’s and the Look-behind’s pretty much comprise all the differences in the people of the world.” She paused to take a sip of tea. “Most of you are in the first two categories. I estimate that 3% of the world are Leap-a-head’s and maybe 10% are Look-a-head’s but that leaves 87% who are going to be shocked and appalled by my bargaining.”

“In the democracies of the world, the majority rules and quite rightly.” Father Adam continued doggedly arguing while Toby thought over the categories and grinned at the memories of how his friends would fit into them.

“That’s true, Father. But the inventions of the past and their innovations came from people who didn’t create a committee first then plan it out step by step.” Ruth’s eye softened at the confused look on his face. “Our leaps occur as they will and usually by the hopes of a few dreamers who dare to take a chance at failure. This plane is a good example of the result of a pair of tinkering brothers who tried something new, failed over and over again but kept on working until they succeeded.”

“Militarily there’s a problem with negotiating with aliens who may or may not think the way we do. Not to mention the language problem.” Peter spoke up from the window where he was keeping watch on the alien ship.

“Quite true, Major. Except for one thing.” Ruth smiled into her teacup. “They can’t lie to me.”

“You’re kidding?” Wolf spoke from behind Toby. “Aren’t you?”

“Nope. Sorry, but there it is. The aura around a person telling a lie is quite distinct even if she is an Ikiiri. They are a very clannish bunch. And honor is something they take very seriously. They came here to challenge us and the rules say I have the choice of weapon. So they could not in all honesty attack us without warning.”

“Good heavens.” Seth was sharing the next crate with Sam, their unzippered suits touching all along their lower extremities. “They’ll be eaten alive by our politicians who are a pretty unchivalrous lot.”

“They might if I let it happen but I won’t. If I can get the deal I want, we should be able to not only get our space program back on track but leap ahead out into space beyond this small solar system.” Ruth held out her cup to Marag for more tea.

Toby took a deep breath and slowly let it out. All his life, he’d wanted to be an astronaut. He’d taken all the science and math courses he needed, only to see the space program gutted by the people who held the purse strings and the fumbling of the agency who wasted money on programs that went nowhere or crashed at the last moment. He’d accepted he wasn’t getting off this planet and he’d chosen his second passion for the past as his goal.

But with a few words, Ruth had re-ignited the flame inside of him that had never quite gone out. He’d seen aliens up close and personal, heard them speak and watched their ship land. With a sudden ache of desire, he wanted what they might offer with a physical pain that raced through his whole body. Looking into Ruth’s eye, he saw the same fierce desire for space exploration that echoed in him.

Mei Ling leaned against his arm and he put it around her, looking down into her dark gaze. “What’s up?”

“I have no desire to go into space. Never have, don’t think I ever will.” She sighed and rested her cheek against the faintly steaming suit he was wearing. “And you do, don’t you?”

“Always have, probably always will.” He answered honestly, feeling the first tremor of uncertainty in his voice. How could she not want to travel into space?

“You see, there are already divisions growing up in this small group.” Father Adam spoke up again, interrupting the speculations of Seth and Peter. “Can you imagine what it will be like across the face of the Earth?”

Ruth nodded, her face calm but faintly sad. “Yes, I can, Father. There will grow as large a chasm in the peoples of the world as there is now because of our warring religions. Some will never be reconciled to the new opportunities available.”

“Growing pains.” Marag said thoughtfully. “Or perhaps the birth process is a better analogy.”

The two women looked at each other in complete agreement. Ruth nodded. “All cultures go through them. I will use every thing at my disposal to further the process as bloodlessly as possible. But some pain is inevitable . . . on both sides.”

Toby thought of his mother and her tearful fear of his coming up here. Magnify that pain by a million other mothers who wished their children safe and the future suddenly didn’t seem so rosy. And what of the people who stayed behind on Earth while their young people disappeared into space? What would they be thinking and feeling?

“It will be a turbulent time for everyone. And Ruth, you’ll be a target from the word ‘go’.” Seth’s gazed at the small woman on Sam’s other side.

“I know. I’m only postponing the inevitable for a few years.” She quirked up her lips in a small smile. “As soon as I build something that won’t come crashing down the moment I leave, then I’ll step aside for the next generation. I’ve already got the white hair, I’ll probably be bald by the time I can let go.”

Peter snorted from the window then met her gaze with his own smile. “You’re going to be one of those pushy mothers who nag everyone into doing what’s good for them, aren’t you?”

“Hm-m-m, a Jewish mother. Sounds just about right to me.” Ruth fluttered her eyelashes and joined her laughter to theirs.

But Toby noticed that Father Adam wasn’t even smiling. “And what of the religious question? Do you try and proselytize your Goddess worship to the world?”

She shook her head. “I won’t have to. She’s quite used to playing second fiddle to the paternal religions. You will find, Father, Her worship has been going on far longer than Christianity or even Judaism. I won’t have to say a word. Your religion is quite safe from me. In fact, the religions of the world will have enough to cope with when they find out Earth is not the center of the universe.”

Toby hid a smile at the look on the priest’s face and drew Mei Ling into a hug. She hugged back and laid her cheek against his chest. They just breathed in tune with each other for a long moment while the discussion continued around them. Toby didn’t want to think about all that could go wrong in the next hour. He desperately wanted everything to come out right. Sending up a heart felt prayer to the god of his childhood, he wished for a positive outcome for their upcoming confrontation.

Watching Seth’s hand casually rest on his brother’s shoulder, he sent up another prayer for them. A prayer encompassing their feelings for each other and the feelings others showed to them, wafted up to heaven. He couldn’t tell if Peter knew about them but if the look in his oldest brother’s eyes was any indication then they would be having a little talk as soon as possible.

He watched Peter straighten up and felt his stomach lurch.

“The door is opening up. We’d better get out there.” He was already zipping up again and pulling on his gloves.

They followed suit quickly and then Toby caught his breath at the slap of the arctic cold when he climbed down the short ladder to the ice surface. Ruth pulled out her crystal and carried it before her. Its light cascaded down to splash on the ice, creating a myriad of rainbows in its path.

Lining up the way they had at the beginning, they waited for the Ikiiri Queen to emerge. When she did, Toby wished he could tell from her face what her answer was but the features were just too alien. Crossing his fingers inside his gloves, he waited for her to speak.

“Well, I have lissstened to my sssonsss and thought about what you sssaid.” The Ikiiri Queen stood proudly before Ruth. “Clan honor isss all. I will think a new thing now. I accccept thisss idea of trade.”

Toby felt the crashing relief like a tidal wave that weakened his legs. He was so busy shoring up his trembling limbs that he almost missed Ruth’s reply.

“Very good. Let us begin.”

********************   
End Part One


End file.
